Jason Groome, a former Barnegat High School star pitcher, has been suspended by Major League Baseball for one year for violating the sport’s betting rules and policies, it was announced Tuesday morning.
Groome is in the San Diego Padres’ organization with that club’s’ Class AAA El Paso (Tex). Chihuahuas team. He was a first-round draft choice and the No. 12 selection overall by the Boston Red Sox in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
He is the second-highest Shore Conference selection in the history of the draft. He signed with Boston for $3.65 million.
Groome was one of five players suspended for unrelated violations of the MLB’s sports betting rules and polices. The others are: Tucupita Marcano (San Diego infielder/outfielder); Michael Kelly (Oakland Athletics’ pitcher) and Minor League players Jose Rodriguez (Phillies’ infielder) and Andrew Saalfrank (Arizona Diamonbacks’ pitcher).
None of the players are appealing their suspensions.
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What rules did Jason Groome violate?
Major League Baseball’s Rule 21 states:
“Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.”
“Whereas, any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement in a release on MLB’s website:
“The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,’’ Manfred said. “The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century.
“We have been clear that the privilege of playing in baseball comes with a responsibility to refrain from engaging in certain types of behavior that are legal for other people.
“Since the Supreme Court decision opened the door to legalized sports betting, we have worked with licensed sports betting operators and other third parties to put ourselves in a better position from an integrity perspective through the transparency that a regulated sports betting system can provide.
“MLB will continue to invest heavily in integrity monitoring, educational programming and awareness initiatives with the goal of ensuring strict adherence to this fundamental rule of our game.”
MLB’s investigations included interviews and a review of available information in each matter with significant cooperation from MLB’s legal sportsbook partners.
The investigation came up with the following accusations against Groome:
- Betting data shows that from July 22, 2020 through July 24, 2021, Groome placed 32 MLB-related bets. Of those, 24 bets involved the Red Sox Major League Club, all of which Groome placed while he was assigned to the Red Sox’ High-A affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina. All 24 of Groome’s Red Sox bets were on the final outcome.
- In total, Groome bet $453.74 on 30 MLB game-related bets (an average of approximately $15.12 per bet) and had a net loss of $433.54 on these bets. Ultimately, Groome only received payouts on two of his MLB bets.
- Groome’s MLB bets included parlays, which sometimes included multiple MLB-related legs and would sometimes include MLB-related legs and non-MLB legs.
- Groome did not appear in any of the games on which he bet, and he did not make any bets involving his assigned team. There is no evidence to suggest — and Groome denies — that any outcomes in the baseball games on which he placed bets were compromised, influenced, or manipulated in any way.
How MLB learned about the betting activity violations
- MLB said it learned in March from a legal sports betting operator about past baseball betting activity from accounts connected to multiple Major and Minor League players
- MLB obtained data from that operator and other sportsbooks, including authentication data for bets.
- None of these players played in any game on which they placed a bet.
- Further, all of the players denied that they had any inside information relevant to the bets or that any of the baseball games they bet on were compromised or manipulated, and the betting data does not suggest that any outcomes in the baseball games on which they placed bets were compromised, influenced, or manipulated in any way.
More about Jason Groome
- Groome has had a star-crossed career. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow while a member of the Red Sox’ organization.
- He returned to action on Aug. 21, 2019 in an outing for Boston’s Gulf Coast League team.
- He was added to Boston’s 40-man roster in May 2021 and went 5-8 with a 4.81 earned run average in 21 starts for the Class AA Portland (Me.) Sea Dogs.
- Groome was eventually promoted to Boston’s Class AAA Worcester (Mass.) team in July, 2022.
- Less than three weeks after that, Groome was traded to San Diego and assigned to El Paso.
- He was one of San Diego’s final roster cuts before the 2023 season even though he recorded a 1.29 ERA with 13 strikeouts in five spring training appearances. Groome was 4-10 with a 8.55 ERA with 137 strikeouts in 30 starts last season for El Paso.
- He had a 3.60 ERA in three outings covering five innings with five strikeouts, no walks and one hit allowed this season.