Two North Carolina high school baseball stars get selected on Day 2 of MLB Draft

East Rowan's Cobb Hightower and Charlotte Christian's DJ Layton now have an opportunity to pursue their big league dreams

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred during the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum. / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

It's the opportunity every little league baseball player dreams of and so few experience – hearing your name called during the Major League Draft.

Getting drafted is only half the battle, but it does provide the opportunity to begin a journey towards the dream of becoming a big league baseball player. That opportunity was granted to two North Carolina high school baseball stars, on Tuesday, as East Rowan High School's Cobb Hightower and Charlotte Christian High's DJ Layton were each selected on the second day of the 2024 MLB Draft, which is taking place in Arlington, Texas in conjunction with the 2024 MLB All-Star Game festivities.

Hightower was taken in the third round with the 88th overall pick by the San Diego Padres. He led the Mustangs to the NCHSAA Class 3A state championship with a sensational senior year, batting .462, scoring 62 runs, collecting 48 hits, including 10 doubles and nine home runs, and driving in 48 runs. As a junior his numbers were equally impressive when he posted a .515 average.

During his three year varsity career, Hightower finished with a .455 average, 31 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs and 123 RBI. He also drew 68 walks and stole 55 bases. In addition, he only struck out 29 times.

Hightower, who stands 6-feet and weighs 180 pounds, is committed to the University of North Carolina, so it will be interesting to see if the Padres can come up with enough bonus money to get him signed. All things being equal, however, Hightower indicated that is what he hopes to do.

“I think that’s an accurate way to put it,” Hightower told the Salisbury Post. “The plan is to sign. We just have to get everything worked out.”

He also described how he learned of the news.

“I got up Monday, took an online class for UNC summer school, and then I was watching the draft with family and friends,” Hightower said. “They started the third round at 2 p.m. Fifteen minutes later, the Padres called me and said, ‘Hey, get ready. You’re next.’ I was anxious, but the wait wasn’t long enough to get worried or nervous. It’s hard to describe exactly how I felt at that moment, but I can tell you it felt awesome. Best day ever.”

Layton's wait was a little longer, as he was selected in the sixth round, 189th overall, by the Baltimore Orioles, who have a fantastic recent track record of finding players with major league potential and developing them.

As a senior, Layton batted .449, scored 30 runs, hit four home runs and collected 34 RBI to go with 19 stolen bases. Speed is one of his best tools as he stole a total of 50 bases during his high school career with the Knights.

Layton's draft profile describes him as an "athletic middle infielder" who "showed an aggressive all-fields approach at the plate. Hunting fastballs early, Layton got his hands to the ball quickly and shot the ball all over the field with a level swing from both sides of the plate. Defensively, he had solid actions and above-average arm strength."

Currently, Layton is committed to Southern Missippi.

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-- Gary Adornato | gary@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports