Jay Groome: Terrific Until Terrible
The last two Saturdays I’ve watched my hometown Greenville Drive, the High A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. They used to be Low-A until this year due to the realignment of the Minor League systems, which is okay with me (and my crazed companion, AKA, Dad).
In both games former 1st rounder Jay Groome started on the mound. He was drafted 12th overall in 2016. He is the 7th best prospect in the Red Sox system according to MLB.com. You might wonder why a 1st rounder from ’16 is still in Low A. That’s been the scourge of Mr. Groome – injuries. He’s got a lot of upside, hence his high position in the draft. The thing is, this is the first time in a long while that he’s been healthy, so I was really excited to see him in action.
I’ve noticed a repeating trend. In both games he was terrific through 3 innings. Especially in the 2nd game when he allowed no hits through 3. Then he simply fell apart in the 4th both times and exited, leaving me wondering what happened. He dialed up his fastball to 99 and threw hitters off with his curve. Then he threw around 7 balls in a row and loaded the bases while also giving up a couple of hits. The 1st game he gave up 4 runs, the 2nd game 1. He went from spot on control to a crazy blind man pitching. This probably means he is more of a short-term pitcher. This is why I think the Red Sox will convert him to a reliever. He will be much more affective in short stints from what I have seen. He could really help the Red Sox in the future, but more than likely as a bullpen arm.