Game Report: Groome Shines in Season Debut

Jason Groome made his first start of the spring on Tuesday. It went well. Groome threw 59 pitches—39 for strikes—and he struck out 10 of the 16 batters he faced in four-plus innings.

Only four balls were put in play against Groome: a popup to second base, a lazy fly dropped by his right fielder, a bunt straight back to Groome, and a soft ground ball that made its way through the right side of the infield. Groome walked one batter and hit one other. The Barnegat (N.J.) High southpaw left the game with a no-decision. Barnegat went on to win the game 2-0.

The lefthander entered the start ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the 2016 draft class, and was projected to first overall to the Phillies in our first mock draft. Phillies general manager Matt Klentak was among the dozens of upper-level evaluators on hand to see Groome’s start on Tuesday.

Groome threw first-pitch strikes to 10 of the 16 batters he faced, establishing his fastball down and to his arm side well early on. He lacked pinpoint control to his glove side, and said after the game that he disagreed with some of the home plate umpire’s calls. Groome’s fastball showed late sinking action when he located it to his arm side.

While his fastball has been up to 96 mph in the past, Groome did not show his best velocity on Tuesday, though he pitched in the frigid New Jersey weather, with hard gusts of wind preventing him from being warm. Groome had not pitched in such conditions for quite some time; he spent his junior year at IMG Academy in Florida. The pitch sat at 91-93 for Groome in the first inning, before working mostly at 87-91 the rest of the game. He faced one batter in the fifth inning, and his fastball ranged from 85 to 89.

“I felt great,” Groome said in a postgame interview that included nearly a dozen journalists. “All my pitches were working. I didn’t throw as many changeups as I (would have) liked. My curveball was on, my fastball was on … Overall I think I did a pretty good job today.”

Groome’s curveball was on, indeed. He threw the pitch 13 times, showing hard, late-diving action each time. When he was on top of the pitch, it broke with late plus-plus depth and powerful spin. The pitch has the potential to develop into a bona fide plus pitch, and some scouts grade it even higher. Groome competed in the strike zone with his curveball, working both sides of the plate and even locating it up in the strike zone at times.

Groome peppered in two changeups, both against righthanded hitters. The first one he threw came in an 0-2 count, and crossed the strike zone at the hitter’s knees. Groome threw it with good arm speed and the pitch had natural fade to it; it projects as an average offering. At times last summer, Groome showed feel for the pitch down in the strike zone. The development of Groome’s changeup will likely be a focus for him in his first full season of professional baseball, assuming that he chooses to play professionally instead of fulfilling his Vanderbilt commitment.

Groome’s body has improved since the summer time. He has a muscular build and his arms look like thick PVC pipes. He has wide shoulders and well-developed lower half. After the game, he said that he now checks in at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds.

The lefthander has a gorgeous delivery, and showed impressive timing on Tuesday. He has a slight wrap in the back of his arm action, but he finds his three-quarter arm slot consistently and finishes cleanly out front, with a still head and no across body finish. Groome is well-balanced and centered over the rubber, and he gets his torso over his front side as he lands. His front foot lands online, with his toes slightly closed off before he twists his heel to put himself into a solid fielding position.

If Groome’s velocity can improve as the spring progresses, he could still be a candidate to come off the board early in the draft, especially if he can maintain the command that he showed on Tuesday.