The Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of a six-game winning streak, which is especially encouraging when you consider that the team still has one of the game's better farm systems and owns the No. 1 overall pick in this June's MLB Draft.
Barnegat High School's (N.J.) Jason Groome, who is one of the favorites to be potentially selected with the pick, was forced to sit out the first half of the team's games due to a transfer violation, which wasn't discovered until after he made numerous early season starts, including tossing a no-hitter.
The 17-year-old returned Saturday after the technicality forced him to sit out, and didn't disappoint.
Groome tossed a complete game against Pinelands High School (N.J.), allowing just two hits and striking out 13.
He did walk three, which caused his coach, Dan McCoy, to tell NJ Advance Media that he felt Groome looked 'rusty'. Still, his continued statistical dominance makes him one of the favorites for the Phillies to select next month.
Groome, as mentioned previously, is just 17, so if the Phillies selected him, it would probably be three or four seasons until he made his debut for the team. The Phillies will have to take that into consideration when weighing their potential picks, though if they deem Groome to be the best prospect, they shouldn't let anything change their mind on selecting him.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
