Red Sox 2016 First-Rounder Jay Groome Is Still a Promising Prospect

© Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Jay Groome has experienced a lot of ups and downs since being drafted 12th overall by the Boston Red Sox out of a New Jersey high school in 2016. The now-23-year-old southpaw had Tommy John surgery in 2018, and his career mark as a professional includes an 11-22 record with a 4.50 ERA over 240 innings.

Groome’s future nonetheless remains promising. Ranked 13th on our Red Sox Top Prospects list coming into the current campaign, the 6-foot-6, 265-pound former first-rounder has a 3.52 ERA and has allowed just 58 hits (with 81 strikeouts) in 76-and-two-thirds innings with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. Moreover, he has a more diversified arsenal and a better feel for how to attack hitters than he’s had in previous seasons.

Groome discussed his evolution as a pitcher, and the hurdles he’s overcome along the way, earlier this summer.

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David Laurila: When I first interviewed you in 2017, I asked where you were in terms of transitioning from a thrower to a pitcher, and your response was that you “100% know how to pitch.” Looking back, how accurate was that?

Jay Groome: “That was probably just my younger self trying to be honest. But I’ve added two more decent pitches since then, and I’m trying to throw all of them in the zone. I can fairly say now that I’m pitching a lot more than throwing.”

Laurila: I remember thinking at the time that you’d answer that question differently down the road. You were 18 years old and had barely gotten your feet wet in pro ball.

Groome: “Yes. I’ve faced a lot more hitters and learned a lot more about pitching since then. I was also just fastball/curveball at that point. Now it’s fastball, curveball, changeup, slider.”

Laurila: You were throwing an equal number of two-seamers and four-seamers when we first spoke. Has that changed at all?

Groome: “It has. I’m strictly four-seam now.”

Laurila: When did that transition occur?

Groome: “A couple of pitching coaches and I talked about it while I was coming back from Tommy John. We felt that I was sacrificing a little bit of velocity with the two-seam, and without too much movement. Now I’m a four-seam guy trying to ride the ball at the top of the zone. My curveball plays pretty well off of that.”

Laurila: You were known for your curveball when you got to pro ball, but I’ve read that your slider might actually be the better pitch now.

Groome: “I don’t think it’s better than my curveball in the aspect that… I mean, I can throw my curveball and my fastball at any time in the count, whereas my slider, where it’s at now, is more of a put-away pitch. I want to be able to throw all of my pitches for strikes, but the slider is still fairly new for me, so I’m still getting comfortable with throwing it in any count.”

Laurila: When and why did you begin developing a slider?

Groome: “It happened at the alternate site. It was more so just, ‘Hey, let’s see if this helps you get more swings and misses.’ I’d always thought of a cutter when I was growing up. My father and I always messed around with trying to throw a cutter, but I’ve got this hard slider now. I really like it, especially against left-handers. My curveball is really up-to-down, so it doesn’t work as well against lefties as it does against righties. I try to snap off the slider to lefties, trying to get chases, or at least weak contact.”

Laurila: You’re presumably trying to tunnel your slider off your fastball so that it’s hard to recognize…

Groome: “Yes. From the feedback I’ve gotten from our analytics guys, and from my catchers — as well as from what I see rewatching some of the outings — it’s almost to stand righties up. It’s relatively very close to my fastball, because my fastball is coming in at a righty, riding a little bit, and the slider is coming in and then darting to the glove side at the last second.”

Laurila: How hard are you throwing your slider?

Groome: “It’s 87-89 [mph], and my fastball has been in the 91-93 range. I was 93-95 in a recent start, though. I felt really good that day.”

Laurila: Five years ago you didn’t delve much into analytics, preferring to keep things simple. Has that changed at all?

Groome. “Not too much. A pitch can be good on the computer but still get smacked around in a game. I’m still a firm believer that you can have everything on paper, but in the game it doesn’t fit. That’s why I try not to pay too much attention to certain details. I don’t want to try to get more horizontal or more vertical break on my curveball just for the numbers. I really just go on results from games. I know when my fastball is riding because I can see them swinging right under it.

“At the same time, I have learned a lot more analytically. I’ve found out that I have a two-plane fastball. I’ve learned about that and figured out where it works best in the zone, and [which hitters] it works best against.”

Laurila: When did you learn about the movement profile?

Groome: “I was told that for the first time in the middle of last season. Everyone has always said that I have a special fastball, and I finally asked for the reason. They said it’s got pretty good ride, and also a little bit of horizontal movement [arm side], so it’s going to play better at the top of the zone, especially up and away to righties. It has both ride and run.”

Laurila: Along with the Tommy John surgery, you’ve had more than your fair share of ups and downs. Have there been moments of concern, where you maybe wondered if things weren’t going to work out as well as you once thought?

Groome: “Yeah, I mean, the Tommy John rehab was very tough for me personally. I had some hiccups with the recovery, both mentally and physically. I couldn’t really straighten my arm too good after surgery, while other guys who had theirs after me were able to do a lot more things. It was frustrating seeing that.

“Once I came back at the end of 2019, I told myself to pitch every game like it was my last, because I’d found out what it was like not being able to pitch. I had a brand new elbow and wanted to make it just like the old one. And I have. I feel healthy. Some days are better than others, obviously, but that’s everyone.”

Laurila: Your confidence never really waned?

Groome: “Baseball is what I’ve always wanted to do, so that’s where a lot of the mental stuff came in. I started doing a lot more work on the mental side of the game, because it really is mental. If you think you’re not good, or you go out there without that chip on your shoulder, you’re probably not going to pitch very well. Rather than giving hitters too much credit, you need to go out there with confidence, one batter at a time.”

Laurila: And you need to pitch, not just throw…

Groome: “That’s something I’ve gotten a lot better at. For sure.”





David Laurila grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and now writes about baseball from his home in Cambridge, Mass. He authored the Prospectus Q&A series at Baseball Prospectus from December 2006-May 2011 before being claimed off waivers by FanGraphs. He can be followed on Twitter @DavidLaurilaQA.

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jankees1991member
1 year ago

Nice interview, as a Jersey guy myself I love reading up on how local players are doing on their road to the show.

Small question, you asked how hard he’s throwing his slider right now and his response was “It’s 87-99 [mph]”, did I read that right? Or is that a typo. Feels like 89mph makes more sense?