Potential top pick Groome falls to Red Sox at No. 12

The Boston Red Sox stopped the bleeding with their selection of prep pitcher Jason Groome with the 12th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft on Thursday.

Groome was expected by many to go first overall, and if not, at the very least in the top five. Instead, he slid all the way down to No. 12. On the plus side, the Red Sox are his favorite team.

Scouts around the industry said there were a number of reasons for his slide, according to the New York Post's Zach Braziller, with one scout saying there were "too many unknown(s)" with him.

The report states Groome's family and his advisor were looking for top-three-pick money, which is around $6.5 million to $9 million.

The lefty out of New Jersey has some of the highest upside in the draft, according to scouts, with a mid-90s fastball behind an imposing 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame. ESPN's Keith Law added Groome has one of the best high school curveballs he's ever seen.

In his junior year, Groome transferred to IMG Academy in Florida to hone his skill and play top-notch competition. After upping his stock, he moved back home for his final year of high school, but was initially ruled ineligible due to transfer violations.

The left-hander twirled a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts earlier this spring, and won't turn 18 until August. From Baseball America's Hudson Belinsky:

While the fire-and-ice nature of Groome’s curveball prevents a present plus grade, his extreme youth and the ease and potential repeatability of his delivery point to a future 60 offering, if not higher.

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)

Groome can sign for up to $3,192,800 without the Red Sox being penalized. For a pitcher who was expected to sign for north of $9 million as the first pick, it's not expected that he'll take a deal.