The Red Sox have a loaded rotation that they assembled through free agency and trades. The franchise hasn’t had a homegrown pitcher that they drafted pan out since they selected Clay Buchholz in 2005. We can debate how successful the enigmatic Buchholz was, in which case finding a true ace that the Red Sox have developed means going back to when they drafted Jon Lester in 2002.
The lack of success with young pitching prospects makes hanging on to the top arms in their system a priority. It’s been a while since the organization has groomed a frontline starter but they may have a future ace in Jason Groome. The lefty was selected 12th overall in the 2016 draft and has already vaulted to the top of the Red Sox prospect list and No. 42 overall in MLB.com’s rankings.
Groome works with a mid-90’s fastball that should increase in velocity as he gets stronger. His best weapon is a power curveball that many scouts believe was the best breaking ball in his draft class.
It’s always difficult to project pitching prospects and Groome comes with some maturity issues that could hinder his progress (although those concerns have been overblown). The 19-year old may not be ready to debut before 2020 but by that point, the Red Sox will need to invest in an extension for Sale, David Price could opt out of his contract, Drew Pomeranz will hit free agency and Rick Porcello will be off the books. Boston’s rotation could look vastly different by the time Groome is ready. Building a new staff around a cheap young pitcher with ace potential will allow the Red Sox to spend money to fill in the rest of the rotation.
The Red Sox should hang on to Tanner Houck for the same reason, although to a lesser extent. The No. 24 overall pick in the 2017 draft doesn’t have the high ceiling that Groome does but he’s still the second-best pitching prospect in Boston’s system.
His secondary pitches are still a work in progress, leading some to believe he’s destined for the bullpen. However, he throws a blazing fastball that tops out at 98 mph with good sink that he commands well. If he does convert to a reliever then he has the potential to be a high-leverage bullpen weapon who generates plenty of strikeouts, perhaps even as a closer. It’s too early to give up on him yet as a starter, so the Red Sox should keep him, at least for now, to further evaluate his value.