Barnegat Pitcher Expected As No. 1 Pick In MLB Draft

Barnegat, NJ -- South Jersey is once again the center of the baseball universe.

About 40 scouts and 60 fans descended on Barnegat for a glimpse of the high school baseball team’s first scrimmage of the season a few weeks ago, according to nj.com.

All eyes that day were on 6’5,” 230-pound senior Jason Groome, a left-handed pitcher whose fastball has been known to reach 97 mph, according to the report. Scouts noted his solid changeup, devastating curveball, and effortless delivery.

Despite being one of the younger prospects in this year’s class --he doesn’t turn 18 until August-- Baseball America and MLB.com have him pegged as one of the top three prospects in the June draft.

In fact, in its most recent mock draft, Baseball America has Groome going No. 1 overall, to the local and rebuilding Philadelphia Phillies. The magazine says Groome would give the Phils a potential Opening Day starter. It also says Groome has the “wide shoulders usually found in innings-eating starters.”

Groome has wanted to play Major League Baseball since he was five years old, and teams started paying attention early in his high school career.

He led Barnegat to the NJSIAA South Jersey Group II final as a sophomore before moving to Florida to pitch at IMG Academy in Florida, according to Comcast SportsNet. He grew as a pitcher while he was there, but he missed his friends and family, so he came home for his senior year.

His training didn’t suffer, though, as he continues to travel 70 miles to Delaware County to work with Maplezone Sports Institute Strength and Conditioning Specialist Rob Rabena.

Groome is one of 10 high school pitchers listed among MLB.com’s Top 50 prospects, and there's also some strong pitching at the college level this year. University of Florida Pitcher A.J. Puk and University of Oklahoma Pitcher Alec Hansen are considered to be right there with Groome in contention for the top spot overall.

Groome is the latest in a line of top prospects to come out of New Jersey.

Of course everyone knows of Millville product Mike Trout and his meteoric rise to the top of Major League Baseball.

There are at least five current Major League Baseball players with South Jersey roots currently playing in the majors, according to baseballalmanac.com.

This includes Trout; Oakland A’s Pitcher Sean Doolittle, who played at Shawnee; Chicago Cubs outfielder Matt Szczur, who played at Lower Cape May; Outfielder Kristopher Negron, who has played for both the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds; and Chicago White Sox Third Baseman Todd Frazier, who was born in Point Pleasant and grew up in Toms River.

Phillies Pitcher Greg Burke is from Camden, but was recently reassigned to the minor leagues.

There has never been a player who made it to the majors who listed Barnegat as his hometown.

Groome already has one thing in common with those players; he has his own Wikipedia page.

Groome is winding down his senior year, complete with prom, homework and all the same tests his classmates have to prepare for.

He’s also getting ready for a high school baseball season in which 150 scouts and baseball personnel are expected to show up for his first start Friday afternoon, according to nj.com.

MLB’s June Draft is June 9 through 11.