Red Sox: An In-Depth Look at Jason Groome
By Tracy Katzke
Who exactly is Red Sox first-round selection Jason Groome? What accounted for his precipitous descent in the draft? Of paramount importance, is he signable?
With the 12th overall pick in the 2016 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, the Boston Red Sox selected MLB.com’s top-ranked prospect, left-handed pitcher Jason Groome, from Barnegat High School in New Jersey.
There exist a myriad of questions and trepidations surrounding Groome that were deemed problematic enough for his precipitous descent to the 12th selection, which will be addressed and scrutinized later on in this piece.
For what it’s worth, in a family chock full of Yankee fans, Groome’s favorite baseball team is the Red Sox:
"“I’ve just taken them as my best team,” Groome told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “Dustin Pedroia is my favorite player just because of his work ethic, and David Price, who I like to model myself after as well. It’s just awesome ending up with Boston. I couldn’t ask for a better team to go to. I’m so comfortable because they’re my favorite team.”"
Groome, at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, was projected by most to have been selected with one of the top two or three picks in the Draft. Upon entering the draft, Groome was ranked at the pinnacle of MLBPipeline.com’s Top 200 Prospects list, though, admittedly, he was not expected to be selected first overall.
"“I really didn’t feel that bad because everything happens for a reason,” Groome said. “I always said I just wanted to end up somewhere I’m comfortable and feel protected. Like I said, there’s no other spot to do that than Boston. They’re my favorite team.”"
Next: An Exceptional Talent