The Philadelphia Phillies reportedly don't intend to select New Jersey high-schooler Jason Groome with the No. 1 pick. (John Russo/The Press of Atlantic City)
By: Tim Kelly, Managing Editor 
Within the last week, Philadelphia Phillies general manager Matt Klentak noted that the team had 'narrowed their focus' in regards to the No. 1 pick in next month's MLB Draft. That focus won't include high school starting pitching, according to one insider.
ESPN's Keith Law, appearing on the Baseball Tonight Podcast, noted that the Phillies have decided not to take Barnegat, New Jersey's Jason Groome with the pick, or any high school pitchers with the No. 1 pick.
"The Phillies haven't really decided what they're going to do," Law said. "They're down to what appears to be five players. The one interesting thing this is they appear to be out on Jason Groome, who is the local left-handed pitcher from Barnegat, New Jersey, who's one of the best players in the draft. I think the main thing for the Phillies is they just don't want to take a high school pitcher at the top."
"They've essentially eliminated all high school pitchers from their list," Law said. "It's not just about Groome. They're also out on Riley Pint, who gets a lot of play in Jeff Passan's book. The Phillies are out on him too. When I was there scouting Pint, the Phillies left after a couple innings. I think it's more philosophical. There have only been three high school pitchers taken at No. 1 and none have really worked out. The higher risk is what's steering them away. I would bet they're going to take a college player." [Audio transcribed by NJ Advance Media]
Groome, who is just 17, has made five starts in 2016, striking out 62 and throwing one no-hitter. He certainly will take longer to get to the majors than a college player, but so has the recently promoted J.P. Crawford and he certainly is one of the team's better recent first-round picks. That's not to say that the Phillies necessarily aren't correct in their fears of taking a high schooler with the first overall pick, it just seems strange to rule one of the top five players out in a draft that lacks a consensus No. 1 pick just because he's in high school.
With Groome off of the table, Florida left-handed starter A.J. Puk and Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis could both potentially be selected with the pick, though as Law noted, the Phillies don't seem to have decided who they will select in the June 9th MLB Draft.
