Jay Groome

Jason Joseph Groome

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 6", Weight 220 lb.
• High School Barnegat High School, IMG Academy

• Born August 23, 1998 in Barnegat, NJ USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Jay Groome was selected 12th overall in the 1st round of the 2016 amateur draft, by the Boston Red Sox, out of a high school in New Jersey, although he had played baseball against high-level competition through his attendance at the IMG Academy in Florida for one year, where he was a teammate of Brady Aiken, before returning to New Jersey for his senior season. His transfer was not properly reported, however, and he was suspended for half the year as a result. He was rumored to be among the half-dozen or so players under consideration by the Philadelphia Phillies who held the #1 overall pick in the draft, as there was no consensus top player. The Phillies eventually settled on high school OF Mickey Moniak and Groome fell out of the top ten, in part because of concerns about his bouncing between Florida and New Jersey, and his expected high bonus demands (he had a verbal commitment to Vanderbilt University, but was expected not to follow through given his draft stock). He was liked by scouts because of his size (6' 6") and the expected velocity he would likely generate from his frame as he grew older, building on what was already a well above average fastball and an outstanding curveball.

After signing with the Red Sox for a reported signing bonus of $3.5 million, he made his debut with a couple of starts for the GCL Red Sox, followed by another with the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League, putting up a 2.70 average in just 6 2/3 innings. He started the 2017 season with the Greenville Drive of the South Atlantic League, but was injured in his first outing, then returned to action back at Lowell when the NYPL season started in mid-June. There, he went 0-2, but with a solid 1.64 ERA in 3 starts. Back in Greenville, he struggled while facing much older competition, however, finishing at 3-7, 6.70 for his time in Class A. His season was also beset by some personal problems, as on July 10th his father, also named Jason Groome, was arrested in his hometown of Barnegat, NJ and charged with possession of drugs and an illegal weapon. His struggles meant that his prospect rating fell significantly, from #43 according to Baseball America prior to the 2017 season, to #83 heading into 2018. However, he had to miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. In fact, he only pitched 3 times in 2019, for a total of 4 innings, then was idle again in 2020, this time because the Coronavirus pandemic had shut down the minor leagues.

He came back in 2021 but failed to impress as he put up an ERA of 4.81 in 21 starts between Greenville and the AA Portland Sea Dogs. Back in Portland at the start of 2022, he was finally pitching effectively, for the first time since his first pro season in 2016, going 2-1, 2.89 over his first 8 games. He was at 4-5, 3.59 in 19 games between Portland and the AAA Worcester Red Sox when on August 2nd, he was traded to the San Diego Padres in return for 1B Eric Hosmer and two minor leaguers, Corey Rosier and Max Ferguson. He finished the year with the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas, going 3-2, 3.16 in 10 starts. He theh spent all of 2023 with El Paso, but regressed badly as he went 4-10, 8.55 in 30 starts. He gave up a whopping 133 runs in 134 1/3 innings, on 171 hits and 112 walks, yet managed to strike out over a batter per inning, ending up with 137 Ks. The Padres did not give up on him, and he was back in El Paso at the start of 2024 and did a lot better in his first three starts, going 0-0, 3.60 and allowing just 1 hit in 5 innings. However, his hopes of making a comeback were put on hold on [June 4]]th when he was issued a one-year suspension for violating MLB's betting policy. He was one of four minor leaguers, alongside Tucupita Marcano, who received a lifetime ban, to be identified by MLB's investigation. In his case, the league found that he had placed 32 MLB-related bets in 2020 and 2021, while in the Red Sox minor league system.

Further Reading

• Zach Buchanan: "Meet MLB Draft prospect Jason Groome, a high school lefty with a wicked curveball", "Cincinnati.com", The Cincinnati Enquirer, May 25, 2016. [1]
• Mark Feinsand: "MLB announces sports betting suspensions for 5 players: Marcano on permanently ineligible list; 4 others receive 1-year suspensions", mlb.com, June 4, 2024. [2]
• Evan Grossman: "Why top MLB pitching prospect Jason Groome's stock fell after his New Jersey return", The New York Daily News, May 17, 2016. [3]
• Lukas Weese: "MLB bans Padres’ Tucupita Marcano permanently for betting on baseball", The Athletics, June 4, 2024. [4]