Red Sox minor league spring training games are slated to begin March 15. In the meantime, late-morning intrasquad games (free and open to the public) provide intriguing glimpses of the team’s farm system.

On Sunday, lefthander Jason Groome – the team’s first-round pick in 2016 – threw two perfect innings against Red Sox minor leaguers, striking out four and getting numerous swings and misses with both his fastball and curveball.

The fact that most of his opponents spent last year in the Dominican Summer League is important to contextualize the strong performance, but it is worth noting that Groome also punched out catcher Jake Romanski, who spent last year in Double A.