Red Sox select LHP Jason Groome with first pick in 2016 June Draft

The Boston Red Sox selected left-handed pitcher Jason Groome out of Barnegat (N.J.) High School with their first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2016 June Draft Thursday night. The club also took shortstop CJ Chatham out of Florida Atlantic University with its second-round selection (51st overall).
 
Red Sox Director of Amateur Scouting Mike Rikard made the announcement.
 
Groome, 17, was rated by Baseball America as the No. 3 overall prospect available in this year's draft. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound left-hander was a three-year standout at Barnegat (2013-14, 2016), posting a 0.77 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 15 hits allowed in 39.2 innings as a senior this year. On April 11 against Central Regional High School, Groome recorded 19 strikeouts in the first no-hitter in school history, facing the minimum number of batters in 7.0 innings.
 
Groome helped Barnegat to its first 20-win season as a sophomore in 2014, when he went 6-2 with a 0.57 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 61.1 innings. He spent his junior season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., going 5-0 with a 0.98 ERA (6 ER/43.0 IP) and 77 strikeouts against nine walks in eight starts.
 
Chatham, 21, was named Conference USA's 2016 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and was also tabbed a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound right-handed hitter led the Owls in batting average (.357), on-base percentage (.422) and slugging percentage (.554) as a junior this season, going 89-for-249 with 17 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 50 RBI, and 48 runs scored. He started each of the team's 58 games and helped the club post a 39-19 record en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance and the program's first ever Conference USA championship. A native of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Chatham attended American Heritage High School, where he hit .416 with eight home runs as a senior.