Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

Groover wasn't a regular on the high school showcase circuit but impressed evaluators with his bat speed at the World Wood Bat Association World Championship last October. He's a product of The Walker School (Marietta, Ga.), which also spawned No. 1 overall pick Mike Ivie and a second big leaguer in David Hale. Though he has been scouted less than most players on this list and the shortened high school season didn't help his cause, he's intriguing as a possible middle infielder with offensive upside.

Groover's whippy right-handed swing and projectable 6-foot-3 frame could translate into average or better pop as he gains strength and experience. He already shows a knack for making hard line-drive contact, fueling optimism that he'll get to most of his power potential. He doesn't try to do too much at the plate, keeping his stroke compact and not expanding the strike zone.

A high school shortstop, Groover almost certainly will change positions at the next level. He has reliable hands and good instincts, but his average speed and arm strength fit better at second base. Some scouts think the UNC Charlotte recruit could wind up at third base if his arm gets stronger or an outfield corner if he slows down as he fills out.

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Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

Groover was a consistent producer in his one year at UNC Charlotte and two years at NC State with a .349 combined average, and after the D-backs selected him in the second round in 2023, he’s carried that reputation right on through to pro ball. The corner infielder suffered a broken left wrist at High-A Hillsboro in his first full season but managed to still hit later at Double-A Amarillo and in the Arizona Fall League in ’24. He returned to the Texas League last season and spent the entire campaign there, hitting .309/.399/.434 with 12 homers in 123 games.

Batting from a straight-up stance, the right-handed slugger keeps things loose but controlled in the box and doesn’t have much trouble shooting all pitch types into play as a result. He can catch up to velocity when needed and adapt to breaking stuff while also generally keeping his swings to the strike zone, except for with two strikes when he relies on his bat-to-ball skills to just get something on anything that’s close. He’s still yet to strike out more than 15 percent of the time in either of his first two full seasons. With that contact comes fringy pop, so it remains a hit-over-power profile.

Groover saw time at first and second base in 2024 (and even played some outfield in college), but the D-backs gave him only starts at third last season to focus his development on the hot corner. He made some gains in agility and range there, but with a move to Triple-A in ’26, he’ll go back to mixing in first base as Arizona assesses its corner-infield options. With just average arm strength, Groover will need his bat to force the issue.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

A .351 hitter in his one season at UNC Charlotte, Groover never stopped hitting after transferring to NC State. He slashed .332/.430/.546 with 13 homers as a junior member of the Wolfpack, numbers that pushed him to the D-backs in the second round of the 2023 Draft. He looked set for a potentially big first full season before suffering a broken left wrist on a play at first base in his fourth game with High-A Hillsboro in 2024. He didn’t return to the Hops for three months, got a late-season promotion to Double-A Amarillo and dominated in hitter-friendly environs there with a .340/.400/.600 line in 13 games. Groover rounded out the year with a .339 average and .767 OPS in 18 Arizona Fall League contests.

The right-handed hitter stands tall in the box, patiently waiting for his pitch with his hands behind his head ready to fire. He ran a 91 percent contact rate against Minor League fastballs in '24, per Synergy, to continue a trend going back to his collegiate days. Only changeups seemed to give him much trouble. His swings lack big oomph, however, and he continues to trend as more of a doubles hitter than a homer threat when away from the winds of Amarillo.

A below-average runner, Groover has made some gains defensively at third base, where he’s quickened his release to make up for below-average arm strength, and the D-backs plan to keep getting him looks at second base as well as a potential Max Muncy type. It’s still possible, perhaps even likely, he lands at the cold corner long term or as a bat-first utilityman off the bench.

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 45 | Field: 40 | Overall: 50

Groover hit .351 as a freshman at UNC Charlotte in 2021, transferred to NC State the following year and never stopped hitting for the Wolfpack. He produced a .332/.430/.546 line with 13 homers and a 26/36 K/BB ratio over 57 games as a junior last year and was selected by the D-backs in the second round that July, signing for exact slot at $1.783 million. Groover went 23-for-87 (.264) and struck out only nine percent of the time over a 23-game stint with High-A Hillsboro to end the summer.

The right-handed slugger has a quiet and simple stance at the plate, letting his hands do the firing because of their impressive quickness. He manipulates the barrel well, too, helping him make contact against pitches of all types, and he especially feasted on fastballs, whiffing on only nine percent of his swings against heaters in college in 2023. His swing can be grooved, leading to solid line drives across the park, but he has 20-homer upside if he can elevate a bit more.

Groover’s defense was his biggest drawback going into the Draft. Below-average speed made him a first baseman as a freshman and sophomore, and while his fast reactions helped him move to third base last year, he still lacks the range and arm strength (with a short throwing motion) to project as anything more than below-average at the position. His plus bat would hold up at the cold corner, second base or the outfield, where he also got looks in school. It was at first that he suffered a broken left wrist on April 9, an injury that kept him out for three months of his first full season.

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 45 | Field: 40 | Overall: 50 

Groover impressed scouts with his bat but wasn't a regular on the showcase circuit and didn't get much of a chance to show what he could do as a Georgia high school senior in the shortened 2020 season, so he went unpicked in the five-round Draft. He continued to perform in college, at UNC Charlotte as a freshman and after transferring to North Carolina State, earning an invitation to try out for the U.S. collegiate national team last summer. There are few doubts that he can hit but many questions about where he fits defensively. The D-backs selected him in the second round in July and signed him for exactly slot at $1.783 million.

Groover has quality bat-to-ball skills and likes to attack pitchers early in the count. He has tremendous feel for the barrel and drills line drives from foul pole to foul pole, though his ability to make contact does cut into his walk totals. His right-handed swing is relatively flat but he has the hitting ability, bat speed and strength for 20-homer power if he can add more leverage. 

With well-below-average speed and fringy arm strength at best, Groover's defensive options are limited. Primarily a first baseman in his first two college seasons, he has moved to third with the hope that he might be adequate there. He also has played second and the outfield corners, and he does have fast hands, but his lack of quickness and range is a concern at any spot.

Awards

TEX Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2025

AFL Rising Stars

Year	Team
2024

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/05/2026	3B LuJames Groover assigned to Arizona D-backs Prospects.
	01/30/2026	Arizona Diamondbacks invited non-roster 3B LuJames Groover to spring training.
	07/14/2025	Amarillo Sod Poodles activated 3B LuJames Groover from the temporarily inactive list.
	07/11/2025	Amarillo Sod Poodles placed 3B LuJames Groover on the temporarily inactive list.
	07/11/2025	National League Futures activated 3B LuJames Groover.
	03/06/2025	activated 3B LuJames Groover.
	01/31/2025	Arizona Diamondbacks invited non-roster 3B Gino Groover to spring training.
	11/08/2024	National League Fall Stars activated 3B Gino Groover.
	09/25/2024	3B Gino Groover assigned to Salt River Rafters.
	09/01/2024	3B Gino Groover assigned to Amarillo Sod Poodles from Hillsboro Hops.
	07/19/2024	Hillsboro Hops activated 3B Gino Groover from the 60-day injured list.
	07/06/2024	Hillsboro Hops sent 3B Gino Groover on a rehab assignment to ACL D-backs.
	07/06/2024	sent 3B Gino Groover on a rehab assignment to ACL D-backs.
	04/13/2024	Hillsboro Hops transferred 3B Gino Groover from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
	04/11/2024	Hillsboro Hops placed 3B Gino Groover on the 7-day injured list.
	03/07/2024	Arizona D-backs Prospects activated 3B Gino Groover.
	08/10/2023	3B Gino Groover assigned to Hillsboro Hops from ACL D-backs Red.
	08/08/2023	3B Gino Groover assigned to ACL D-backs Red from ACL D-backs Black.
	08/07/2023	3B Gino Groover assigned to ACL D-backs Black from ACL D-backs Red.
	08/03/2023	3B Gino Groover assigned to ACL D-backs Red.
	07/17/2023	Arizona Diamondbacks signed 3B Gino Groover.
	05/24/2023	College Workout activated 3B LuJames Groover III.
	03/27/2023	1B LuJames Groover III assigned to North Carolina State Wolfpack.
	03/27/2023	North Carolina State Wolfpack activated 3B Gino Groover.
	07/02/2022	USAB Stripes Team activated SS LuJames Groover.
	07/01/2022	SS LuJames Groover and assigned to College Workout.
	04/30/2022	2B LuJames Groover III and assigned to North Carolina State Wolfpack.