Gino Groover

School: North Carolina State Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.2
BA Grade:50/High
Tools:Hit: 55. Power: 55. Run: 30. Field: 40. Arm: 45.

In his freshman year at Charlotte, Groover hit .351/.381/.489 with four home runs and 14 doubles. He transferred to North Carolina State after that and has been a reliable hitter for the Wolfpack since, culminating in a .332/.430/.546 slash line in 2023 with 13 home runs and drastically improved strikeout and walk rates. He went from a 16.1% strikeout rate in 2022 to a 9.4% rate in 2023 and upped his walk rate from 10.2% to 13%. A 6-foot-2, 212-pound third baseman, Groover is a well-rounded hitter with a sound approach, solid contact skills and quality impact which has currently been accessed mostly to the pull side in games. Despite solid raw power, Groover has mostly been a contact hitter, but scouts believe he has the strength and physical projection to tap into more power at the next level. He has standout contact skills overall, with an 85% contact rate in 2023 and a 93% in-zone contact rate. He’s a heavy footed, well below-average runner who has a suspect defensive profile. Groover played mostly first base in 2022, but he slid over to third in 2023, though scouts think he’s a below-average defender there. He’ll be drafted for his bat and could go as high as the second round to a team confident in his hit and power combination.