Red Sox Sign Top Draft Pick LHP Jason Groome

(Jason Groome, photo credit: maxpreps.com)

The Boston Red Sox reached an agreement with left-handed pitcher Jason Groome Friday afternoon. The 6'6", 220-pound 17-year old was the 12th overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft. Considered one of the top prospects going into the draft, Groome fell as a result of concerns regarding his signability, and some off-field issues. The $3.65 million contract was confirmed just hours before the draft signing deadline.

A native of New Jersey, Groome spent his first two years in high school at Barnegat High School before transferring to the famed IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his junior year. He returned to New Jersey this year and managed a 19-strikeout no-hitter on April 11. According to scouts, Groome boasts a mid-90s fastball and a nasty curveball. Director of amateur scouting Mike Rikard had high praise and a clear plan for Groome moving forward. "Yeah, we're extremely excited to have Jason with us for a number of reasons," Rikard said. "Obviously, with an elite talent like Jay, we're going to be extremely conservative right out of the gate. As you can probably tell just from hearing the tone of his voice, he's champing at the bit to get going, and we want to get him out there and get his feet under him, get him on our throwing program and certainly get him headed in the right direction as soon as possible."

Fittingly, Groome grew up as a Red Sox fan, influenced by his father and picking a quality player to idolize: "Me and my father both have the same type of favorite player. He liked Pedro Martinez. Every time I would be watching baseball with him, the Red Sox would be playing the Yankees and Pedro would be on the mound. I grew a liking to Pedro's style and how he played and the Red Sox, how they played as a whole."

Groome dropped in the draft due to some perceived maturity issues by scouts. Groome didn't let it get him too down, though. "It's kind of tough when people are saying stuff like that... but there's nothing you can do about it. If you know it's not true, then it's not true. You just go about your day and keep playing baseball."

The Red Sox will start Groome in the rookie league, but expect him to move up to A-ball before the season ends.