Boston Red Sox 2016 first-round pick: Jay Groome (starting pitcher)
The Boston Red Sox used the 12th overall pick in the 2016 draft on starting pitcher Jay Groome.
Groome was selected out of high school and seen by many as the top pitching prospect in the draft. However, there were questions surrounding him.
One big question was about his work ethic and attitude. That's something that I think Groome has done a good job of answering. If you want to nitpick about parts of his game, fine. But he appears to be a hard worker who is dedicated to baseball.
Groome did have a serious issue in his first few seasons, though. That issue was his health. Through his first four seasons in the system, Groome managed just 66 innings of work. Then with 2020 canceling the MiLB season, he was heading into year six with still just those 66 innings in the minor leagues.
2021 was a mixed bag. However, the left-handed pitcher did have a couple of good outings at the end of the year in Double-A. Most importantly, he threw 97 1/3 innings that season.
In 2022, Groome tossed a career-high 144 innings. That included getting a chance in Triple-A, where he looked great in Worcester for a few outings.
It was starting to look like the Boston Red Sox had something in the young pitching prospect. Then he was traded away for Eric Hosmer, Corey Rosier, and Max Ferguson.
Rosier is having a breakout season in Double-A this year, and Ferguson's been decently impressive in High-A.
Back to Groome, though. The lefty is now in the San Diego Padres system. It's been a tough year for him. As of the time this was written, Groome has an 8.04 ERA, .323 BAA, and 2.04 WHIP. That's a far cry from his 3.44 ERA, .236 BAA, and 1.33 WHIP last season.
Jay Groome is still just 24 and has shown flashes of brilliance even this season. However, if we're grading him right now, then it doesn't look pretty. A prospect that took years to get started due to injuries and is struggling in Triple-A now without having made the Majors yet?
Draft Grade: D+