Scouting Report

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

Hightower was a pop-up player out of the North Carolina prep ranks, and San Diego surprised many by swooping in to take him in the third round of the 2024 Draft, paying him slot money at $852,300 to go pro. He looked like one of the best players in the Arizona bridge league the summer after he signed, but then scuffled out of the gate in his official pro debut at Single-A Lake Elsinore. He was traded to the Orioles as part of the return for Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano at the Trade Deadline and didn’t hit much in 24 games with his new organization at Single-A Delmarva to finish the year.

Scouts were bullish on Hightower’s offensive potential coming out of the Draft. He looks athletic and hitterish in the box with a high leg kick, has good bat speed and barrel control and a good feel for the strike zone. There was hope he could develop into at least average power, but he didn’t impact the ball much in his debut as he struggled to square balls consistently against advanced pitching. Hightower does show on-base acumen, as well as a mature approach and a strong baseball IQ that hint at an ability to make the necessary adjustments.

Hightower can impact the game with his legs, as he is at least an above-average runner who has run the 60-yard dash in 6.6 seconds. He played exclusively shortstop with the Padres but split time between short and second base after the trade. He should still get opportunities at short, though he looks more like a second baseman long term. Wherever he ends up defensively, it’ll be the bat driving the profile -- that is, if he can develop offensively.

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

Hightower was a pop-up player out of the North Carolina prep ranks, and San Diego surprised many when it swooped to take Hightower in the third round of the 2024 Draft and paid him slot money at $852,300 to go pro. He looked like one of the best players in the Arizona bridge league the summer after he signed but then scuffled out of the gate in his official pro debut at Single-A Elsinore. He was traded to the Orioles as part of the return for Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano at the Trade Deadline and didn’t hit much in 24 games with his new organization at Single-A Delmarva to finish the year.

Scouts were bullish on Hightower’s offensive potential coming out of the Draft. He looks athletic and hitterish in the box with a high leg kick, has good bat speed and barrel control and a good feel for the strike zone. There was hope he could develop into at least average power, but he didn’t impact the ball much in his debut as he struggled to square balls consistently against advanced pitching. Hightower does show on-base acumen, as well as a mature approach and strong baseball IQ that hint at an ability to make the necessary adjustments.

Hightower can impact the game with his legs, as he is at least an above-average runner who has run the 60-yard dash in 6.6 seconds. He played exclusively shortstop with the Padres but split time between short and second base after the trade. He should still get opportunities at short, though he looks more like a second-baseman long-term. Wherever he ends up defensively, it’ll be the bat driving the profile -- that is, if he can develop offensively.

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

Hightower helped lead East Rowan High School to a 3A North Carolina state championship last spring and was a consistent performer during his time in school but tended to be overlooked in many Draft circles. Padres area scouts had interest in him, however, and he popped all the more in a South Carolina workout before the Draft. Still, San Diego surprised many when it swooped to take Hightower in the third round last summer and paid him slot money at $852,300 to go pro. After hanging back in extended spring training, Hightower scuffled over his first two months with Single-A Lake Elsinore, but had righted the ship with a solid July when he was sent to the Orioles as part of the return for Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano at the Trade Deadline.

The former UNC commit stays back on balls well with a high leg kick and can find the barrel with a repeatable swing. His strike-zone knowledge is solid for his age, adding to the belief he could be an above-average hitter in time. There’s at least average power potential too, especially if he can continue to square balls against more advanced pitching.

A 6.6 runner in the 60-yard dash, Hightower can also impact the game with his speed. He should get every chance to play shortstop for the time being, but some view him as a future bat-first second baseman too.

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

Hightower was a consistent performer over the years at East Rowan (N.C). HS and helped the school win a North Carolina 3A state championship this past spring. Padres area scouts were interested in the UNC commit and came away even more pleased when he popped offensively during a workout in South Carolina. Worried that other organizations would try to pop a player it liked on the board, San Diego swooped to take Hightower in the third round and paid him exact slot at $852,300 to go pro.

The 6-foot infielder made evaluators interested when his bat speed really showed out in those workouts, and he was routinely squaring balls up during those sessions, giving confidence that he could hit for both average and power at the next level. That will be put to the test against more advanced pitching on the pro side, but the raw ingredients are there at least. A 6.6 runner in the 60-yard dash, he also has speed that can impact games.

Hightower is athletic enough to play shortstop right now, but some view him as a future bat-first second baseman. Already 19, he is older than typical prep picks but will get space and time to develop in the San Diego system. The Padres believed Hightower would have performed quickly had he gone to school, and they’ll now get to plug him into the same development apparatus that pushed Jackson Merrill to the Majors and Leodalis De Vries into prospect prominence.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	04/19/2026	Delmarva Shorebirds placed SS Cobb Hightower on the 7-day injured list.
	03/05/2026	SS Cobb Hightower assigned to Baltimore Orioles Prospects.
	02/22/2026	SS Cobb Hightower assigned to Baltimore Orioles.
	02/22/2026	SS Cobb Hightower roster status changed by Baltimore Orioles.
	02/22/2026	SS Cobb Hightower roster status changed by Baltimore Orioles.
	02/22/2026	SS Cobb Hightower roster status changed by Baltimore Orioles.
	08/02/2025	Delmarva Shorebirds activated SS Cobb Hightower.
	07/31/2025	Baltimore Orioles traded 1B Ryan O'Hearn, RF Ramón Laureano and cash to San Diego Padres for LHP Boston Bateman, RHP Tyson Neighbors, RHP Tanner Smith, SS Brandon Butterworth, SS Cobb Hightower and 1B Victor Figueroa.
	07/31/2025	SS Cobb Hightower assigned to Delmarva Shorebirds.
	04/30/2025	SS Cobb Hightower assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres.
	03/06/2025	activated SS Cobb Hightower.
	02/27/2025	SS Cobb Hightower assigned to San Diego Padres.
	08/05/2024	SS Cobb Hightower assigned to ACL Padres.
	07/24/2024	San Diego Padres signed SS Cobb Hightower.
	05/29/2024	College Workout activated SS Cobb Hightower.