Red Sox Draft 17-Year-Old Left-Handed Pitcher, Jason Groome
In the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft, with the No. 12 overall pick, the Boston Red Sox selected Jason Groome, a 17-year-old left-handed pitcher out of Barnegat High School in New Jersey.
Going into the draft, Groome was widely recognized by MLB.com and Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in the talent pool, yet he fell to the Red Sox at No. 12. Why? Well, without knowing very much, you’d assume that the reason would be signability. There were reports that Groome’s agent Jeff Randazzo was in search of a $4 million signing bonus for his client, which would almost certainly cause him to fall in the draft. But if he’s as good as they say, then falling to No. 12 over signability still seems a little off to me. Within minutes after the Red Sox drafted him, there were rumors floating around that there could be other reasons as to why he fell to No. 12, but nothing concrete enough to report. For now, they’re just what they are — rumors.
But in regards to the actual player, here’s what prospect guru Keith Law had to say about Groome.
This was the pick of the night, and about as good a sign as Red Sox fans can get on the direction of the amateur scouting department under new president Dave Dombrowski. Groome was No. 2 on my board with a case for No. 1, an athletic lefty with a grade-70 curveball and very easy arm action who slipped due to concerns about his character off the field. On the field, he’s as promising as it gets, and the Red Sox should be thrilled to get someone with this kind of upside even though they didn’t have a pick in the top 10. Several teams ahead of them had the chance to take him and passed in favor of good prospects but guys I ranked lower because they lack Groome’s upside.
High praise from a guy who knows the MLB Draft talent pool as good as anybody at any media outlet, but the line that sticks out the most to me is that Groome, “slipped due to concerns about his character off the field.” Nothing about signability. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. You’d think that if these rumors about his “character off the field” could get back to nobodies like me, that the Red Sox were well aware of them when they drafted him. Let’s just hope that they’re chalking it up to him being an immature teenager, and that he’ll leave that life in the past, as he grows into a mature, professional athlete. A very rich, mature, professional athlete. Hopefully.
But let’s talk about that little signability issue. Groome’s talent is top two, number one overall-type talent. It’s only fair that he’s paid as such, despite where he’s taken in the draft. Think of it almost like free agency. Just because X-amount of teams pass on you because of what you’re worth, that doesn’t lower your worth. You’re worth what you’re worth, and there’s going to be a team out there that’s willing to pay you, so he’s going to get top 3 money, regardless of being taken at No. 12. It doesn’t sound like he’s too worried about it, either.
“I really didn’t feel that bad because everything happens for a reason,” Groome said on a conference call. “I always said I wanted to end up somewhere where I’m comfortable and feel protected. There’s no better spot to do that than Boston. They’re my favorite team.”
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that his Red Sox fandom still makes this far from a lock that he signs, but it can’t hurt. The Red Sox are still going to have to pony up big money to sign this kid, but if they drafted him, they knew that. And signing Groome is a lot more important than most people realize. I mean, think about it. Who’s your best pitching prospect right now?
Anderson Espinoza, an 18-year-old right-hander, who we won’t even see at the big league level until 2018 at the earliest. Then who? Michael Kopech, a 20-year-old right-hander, who you might remember as the Red Sox prospect who was handed a 50-game PED suspension, and is the same kid who fractured his hand this past spring, fighting one of his own teammates. It gets really, really thin after that, prospect-wise. The Red Sox are hurting for eventual major league talent when it comes to pitchers in their minor league system. Hot take here, but I think it could help to add a guy who’s drawing comparisons to Clayton Kershaw.
If and when the Red Sox sign Groome, it’s not going to be cheap. But it sounds like it could very much be worth it.