Highlands grad Drew Rom is headed to the Big Show.
Rom was called up by the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday from Triple-A Norfolk, paving way for him to make his MLB debut once he makes its first appearance. He was 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA in six starts with Norfolk, striking out 32 in 31.1 innings pitched.
Rom graduated from Highlands in 2018 and was drafted by the Orioles in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. In five seasons of minor league action, Rom posted a 29-10 record with a 3.37 ERA in 75 starts and 86 total appearances.
He’s a top 20 prospect in the Orioles farm system and was scheduled to start on Tuesday for Norfolk, meaning a debut could be imminent. Rom was a part of three straight 9th Region championship teams at Highlands from 2016-18, a member of the varsity team since his sophomore year, according to the KHSAA website. He was a 2018 Mr. Baseball honoree and 9th Region tournament MVP that season as Highlands was the state runner-up.
He’ll join a Baltimore team that has the second best record in the American League, off to a 22-13 start and 6.5 games behind Tampa Bay for first place in the AL East. The Orioles host the Rays on Tuesday night for the second game of a three-game set. If he doesn’t see the mound there, the next series is against Pittsburgh at home from Friday through Sunday.