Charismatic Gino Groover is Crushing Each Goal He Sets

Groover talks about the Fall League, what he's working on, his hobbies, and more

Arizona Diamondbacks third base prospect Gino Groover signs a ball for a young fan in the Arizona Fall League / Abbie Headington

Gino Groover is a star prospect for the Arizona Diamondbacks and one can go see him play right now in the Arizona Fall League on the Salt River Rafters as he pushes to make the Majors sooner than later. He has flown up the prospect boards with his impressive play this year.

On Wednesday evening at Salt River Fields, Groover started at third base and went 1-4 with an RBI. On Thursday, he went 2-5 with an RBI and a run.

Groover has had a great season thus far including a strong Arizona Fall League despite the lack of power so far as he has yet to hit for an extra-base hit. But, he's still hitting the ball hard, as evidenced by a 106.6 MPH line drive single to left field to plate a run Wednesday night.

Asked about how the Fall League is going, Groover responded, "It's good, it's a great experience. A lot of good competition out here... Come out here, you get a big league treatment, obviously that's the main goal. At the end of the day, I think everybody here wants to get to the league at some point. So, it's nice to get a little bit of taste of it out here, just enjoy the experience. I'm thankful for the opportunity."

Groover had a standout minor league season in 2024 following his broken wrist to start the season. He started it off in High-A Hillsboro Hops and slashed .272/.360/.457/.817 in an environment that is tough for hitters to excel in. He had seven doubles, seven homers, and 25 RBI.

However, over his last 23 games there, he had a .289 average and .941 OPS to go with five doubles, six homers, 20 RBI, 10 walks, and just 10 strikeouts.

The penchant for walks and limiting the strikeouts was a common theme for Groover in 2024. In High-A, his walk rate was a strong 11.4% while he struck out just 13.7% of the time. In Double-A, those numbers were slightly worse.

He walked 9.1% of the time and struck out 16.4% of the time, yet, those are both quality numbers, especially the strikeout rate. In the Northwest High-A League, the average strikeout rate was 24.2% while the walk rate was 9.9%.

In the Texas League of Double-A, the walk rate was 10% with the strikeout rate being 23.7%. Groover struck out at an exceptionally lower rate compared to the averages, a great sign for his future potential.

Groover discussed about how he makes so much contact, lays off pitches, and strikes out less than many other players.

"I think everybody out here is very good at what they do. they wouldn't be here if they weren't. I think you don't get to this point without having a little bit of...being naturally gifted. But also honing in on it, knowing what your strength is...All players have their own strength, whether they're position or pitchers. We go into it and you hone in on your strength and you make your weaknesses good to where nobody notices them."

Groover dissected what his main goal is every time he is at the plate regardless of the result and that's to hit the ball as hard as he can as he believes that will give him the best chance to get the outcome he wants.

"At the end of the day, the one thing I can control is just hitting the baseball hard. That's the goal. Whether it's a ground ball or if it's a double in the gap or a single. I mean, at the end of the day, if you hit the baseball hard, you have a higher chance of success. And at the end of the day, in a game of failure, you want to give yourself the best chance for success."

He joined the Amarillo Sod Poodles on September 1st and played the last two weeks of the season there. All he did was impress and hit well.

Over 13 games, he hit .340 with a 1.000 OPS, including a .600 slugging rate. He had eight runs, 17 hits, four doubles, three homers, six RBI, five walks, and only nine strikeouts.

Groover shared how much it meant to still make it to Double-A in his first professional season as that was a goal of his despite missing so much time.

"You go into the season with goals and stuff like that. Oviously, getting hurt in my first pro season, I don't have that many games under my belt, maybe, as some other people. It was a great experience, I loved it.

Obviously, [getting to AA] was one of my goals this year...missing a lot of time, it was good to still fulfill that requirement,..And they trusted me enough to send me up there. I'm glad I was able to ball out for them."

Asked what his goal is next year, he has his eyes set on a big goal that would change his life.

"I think my main goal, obviously, I'm a big dreamer. I would love to make it to the major leagues next year. Obviously, a full season under my belt. Go out there, ball, just do what I can, you know, be the player that I know I am and that the team knows I am. And just go out there, make a statement for myself. "

In the Arizona Fall League, he is hitting .314 with a .699 OPS as he has yet to get an extra-base hit, but he has 11 hits and seven runs in nine games and is hitting the ball hard. He has four RBI, three walks, eight strikeouts, and has continued to see the ball well at the plate.

Groover is playing three different positions in the Fall League just as he did in the regular season. He's playing third, second, and first base with the majority of his work coming at third, just as in the regular season.

Groover is focusing on his defensive work in the Fall League. That's in addition to just making up for lost reps from the broken wrist that caused him to miss half the season.

"Defensive work. I'm playing third, second, first since I've been out here. So, I'm a little bit all over the field. Just trying to be the best that I can at each position, I mean, the more versatility I have, there are more ways I can help my team win, essentially."

His wrist is doing fine now and Groover said, " I wouldn't wish a broken wrist or surgery on anybody or any broken bones in general. But things happen. It's really out of my control, out of the players' control. It just happens. We move on. We live with it, take it day by day."

In his free time, Groover is a big NBA fan though he doesn't have a favorite team which he thinks helps him to see both sides of any basketball argument. "a little bit unbiased too. So I can see both sides, when people are having their bickering arguments."

He is also a big gamer and plays plenty of NBA2K or MLB the Show half of the year before he gets bored of it and switches to 2K. However, he plays plenty of other games too. "I'm all over the place."

Gino Groover is an elite prospect for the D-backs and could push for top-100 consideration before the end of next year if not sooner. He will likely debut in Chase Field for the Arizona Diamondbacks sooner than later. For now, one can watch him play at Salt River Fields. Check out the Arizona Fall League website for schedule and ticket information.