Jason Groome Suspended For Transfer Rules

Jason Groome, the top prep pitcher in the country and a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall in the draft in June, has been suspended for up to 30 days, according to the Press of Atlantic City. A source has confirmed the suspension to Baseball America.

Groome was suspended by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association for transferring. According to the newspaper, Groome was suspended because he changed schools without changing addresses (i.e., he didn’t move), meaning he must be ineligible for either 30 days or for half the team’s season. Groome could return as soon as May 1.

Groome attends Barnegat (N.J.) High, which he attended as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to Florida’s IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., as a junior. He only attended IMG in the spring semester of his junior season. Groome returned to Barnegat in the fall, saying he wanted to play his senior year with his old teammates, around family and back in his hometown. He pitched the first no-hitter in school history on Monday, striking out 19 and sitting at 93-94 mph in the seventh inning of the game.

The transfer came as a surprise considering Groome was back at Barnegat in the fall. He wasn’t turned in to district officials until after his no-hitter Monday.

“It goes against why the New Jersey transfer rules were established,” said a baseball source based in New Jersey. “He didn’t do anything devious . . . The kid actually has handled himself well. He’s in a fishbowl unlike other kids go through and so far he’s handling himself well. No red flags.”

In a statement, the NJSIAA explained the suspension.

“While NJSIAA will not comment on specific circumstances related to a particular student athlete, the association’s rules clearly state that a student-athlete transferring from one secondary school to another must provide evidence of a bona fide change of residence as defined by NJSIAA rules. Otherwise, that student will be deemed ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletic competition for 30 calendar days or half of the maximum number of games allowed in that sport by NJSIAA rules. Further, if it is determined that an ineligible player participated in regular season games, those games must be forfeited. Neither ruling is open to appeal.”