Gino Groover Stats & Scouting Report

AB	50
AVG	.34
OBP	.4
SLG	.6
HR	3

Full name LuJames Groover III
Born 04/16/2002 in East Point, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 212 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School North Carolina State
Drafted in the 2nd round (48th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 (signed for $1,783,000).

View Draft Report

School: North Carolina State Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.2
BA Grade:50/High
Tools:Hit: 55. Power: 55. Run: 30. Field: 40. Arm: 45.

In his freshman year at Charlotte, Groover hit .351/.381/.489 with four home runs and 14 doubles. He transferred to North Carolina State after that and has been a reliable hitter for the Wolfpack since, culminating in a .332/.430/.546 slash line in 2023 with 13 home runs and drastically improved strikeout and walk rates. He went from a 16.1% strikeout rate in 2022 to a 9.4% rate in 2023 and upped his walk rate from 10.2% to 13%. A 6-foot-2, 212-pound third baseman, Groover is a well-rounded hitter with a sound approach, solid contact skills and quality impact which has currently been accessed mostly to the pull side in games. Despite solid raw power, Groover has mostly been a contact hitter, but scouts believe he has the strength and physical projection to tap into more power at the next level. He has standout contact skills overall, with an 85% contact rate in 2023 and a 93% in-zone contact rate. He’s a heavy footed, well below-average runner who has a suspect defensive profile. Groover played mostly first base in 2022, but he slid over to third in 2023, though scouts think he’s a below-average defender there. He’ll be drafted for his bat and could go as high as the second round to a team confident in his hit and power combination.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Very High.

Track Record: Groover’s senior year of high school outside Atlanta was cut short by the pandemic, perhaps costing him a chance to go in the modified five-round draft that year. He wound up spending a season at Charlotte before transferring to North Carolina State, where he hit .332/.430/.546 with a team-leading 13 homers in 2023. Despite questions about Groover’s future defensive home, the Diamondbacks took him in the second round and signed him for $1.78 million. His first full pro season in 2024 was interrupted after just four games by a broken left wrist that cost him three months, but he returned to action and finished the season strong, earning a September promotion to Double-A Amarillo.

Scouting Report: Groover is a natural hitter with a clean, direct bat path in a swing that has little wasted movement. He has solid contact and chase rates, and last season he showed more power than he did in his pro debut. He can further improve his thump with better understanding of ideal contact points and knowing when to take shots. Few question his ability to hit; it is more about how much impact his bat will bring. Scouts are far less convinced about his defense at third base. With limited range and athleticism and some occasional throwing issues, it is possible he could need to shift to first base, and he has also seen time at second base. He is a below-average runner.

The Future: Groover’s pure hitting ability creates optimism that his power will continue to blossom. If it does—and if he can stick at either second or third base—he could be an above-average regular. His bat should still play even with a shift to first base or the outfield, but he’ll have to hit that much more to generate value.

Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Fielding: 40 | Arm: 50
BA Grade: 50/High

Track Record: Groover might have had a chance to be drafted in the top five rounds out of his suburban Atlanta high school had the pandemic not cut short his senior season in 2020. He wound up at UNC Charlotte for a year before transferring to North Carolina State in 2022. He hit .332/.430/.546 with a team-leading 13 homers as a junior in 2023. Questions about his future defensive home and ultimate power potential might have kept Groover from going higher, but the D-backs grabbed him with the 48th overall pick and signed him for slot value of $1.78 million.

Scouting Report: Groover has a simple, low-maintenance righthanded swing and has a knack for finding the barrel, using his fast hands and quick bat to make consistent, solid contact. He could benefit from hitting fewer balls on the ground but has enough raw juice to project as a 15-20 homer threat. Groover had an appealing combination of a low in-zone whiff rate and high exit velocities in college, though the latter did not translate to the same degree in his 100 plate appearance sample with High-A Hillsboro. He chased at a roughly average rate. Many envisioned Groover moving off third base based on college looks, but upon signing he made adjustments to his throwing motion, started using his legs more and impressed with his athleticism to the point that he could have a chance to stick. He is a below-average, heavy-footed runner who could slow down as he matures.

The Future: The D-backs see Groover as one of the top pure hitters in their system, and whether he sticks at third base or ends up shifting to second, first or an outfield corner, they see someone who can hit for average and occasional power, perhaps in the mold of Wilmer Flores.

Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Field: 45 | Arm: 50

Draft Prospects

School: North Carolina State Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.2
BA Grade:50/High
Tools:Hit: 55. Power: 55. Run: 30. Field: 40. Arm: 45.

In his freshman year at Charlotte, Groover hit .351/.381/.489 with four home runs and 14 doubles. He transferred to North Carolina State after that and has been a reliable hitter for the Wolfpack since, culminating in a .332/.430/.546 slash line in 2023 with 13 home runs and drastically improved strikeout and walk rates. He went from a 16.1% strikeout rate in 2022 to a 9.4% rate in 2023 and upped his walk rate from 10.2% to 13%. A 6-foot-2, 212-pound third baseman, Groover is a well-rounded hitter with a sound approach, solid contact skills and quality impact which has currently been accessed mostly to the pull side in games. Despite solid raw power, Groover has mostly been a contact hitter, but scouts believe he has the strength and physical projection to tap into more power at the next level. He has standout contact skills overall, with an 85% contact rate in 2023 and a 93% in-zone contact rate. He’s a heavy footed, well below-average runner who has a suspect defensive profile. Groover played mostly first base in 2022, but he slid over to third in 2023, though scouts think he’s a below-average defender there. He’ll be drafted for his bat and could go as high as the second round to a team confident in his hit and power combination.

Career Transactions

3B Gino Groover assigned to Salt River Rafters.
3B Gino Groover assigned to Amarillo Sod Poodles from Hillsboro Hops.
Hillsboro Hops activated 3B Gino Groover from the 60-day injured list.
sent 3B Gino Groover on a rehab assignment to ACL D-backs.
Hillsboro Hops sent 3B Gino Groover on a rehab assignment to ACL D-backs.
Hillsboro Hops transferred 3B Gino Groover from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Hillsboro Hops placed 3B Gino Groover on the 7-day injured list.
3B Gino Groover assigned to ACL D-backs Black from ACL D-backs Red.
3B Gino Groover assigned to ACL D-backs Black from ACL D-backs Red.
3B Gino Groover assigned to ACL D-backs Red.
Arizona Diamondbacks signed 3B Gino Groover.
1B LuJames Groover III assigned to North Carolina State Wolfpack.