Jersey's Jason Groome goes to the Red Sox

Jason Groome could have been the first overall pick. Throughout the spring, several projections had him slotted there. But during the Major League Baseball first-year player draft Thursday night, Groome slipped down the board.

At No. 3, the Braves took a pitcher. At No. 4, the Rockies took a pitcher. At picks six through nine, pitchers were taken.

None of them was Groome. But eventually, with the 12th pick, the Red Sox selected the 6-foot-6 lefthander from New Jersey's Barnegat High School.

"This was a really kind of unique draft in that it was very non-typical," said Mike Rikard, Boston's director of amateur scouting, "with a lot of guys in front of us not really knowing who might go up there. So we weren't surprised."

Groome was projected as the third best player in the draft by Baseball America but ended up as the sixth pitcher selected.

Groome finished the year with a 1.13 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 39 innings. His fastball, often hitting 92 to 95 mph, and a variety of secondary pitches were enough to sell the Red Sox.

"In comparison to most other high school pitchers, he is pretty advanced," Rikard said.

After orally committing to Vanderbilt, Groome reportedly flipped his commitment to Chipola College, a junior college in Florida, in the last week. If he doesn't sign with Boston and plays at Chipola, he will be eligible for the draft again next year.