Randy Flores from Alabama State University was the first out of two baseball players selected in the 2024 MLB Draft on Monday night. Canyon Brown from North Carolina A&T was also selected. They are the only players selected from HBCUs this year.

Flores will join the Los Angeles Angels Baseball Club after being selected as the 232nd overall pick in the eighth draft round.

“I am extremely proud of the hard work Randy has put in to make the dream of playing professional baseball come true,” Alabama State head baseball coach Jose Vazquez said, according to a press release. “He has always represented ASU well and deserves this opportunity. The Angels are getting a future star.”

Flores is the first player from the HBCU to be drafted since Ray Hernandez was selected by the Atlanta Braves in 2018. 

He ranked in the top 10 in the SWAC in eight categories in 2024. He played and started 114 games, and was a two-time First-Team All-SWAC during his seasons. He batted .338, 159 hits, 119 runs scored, 25 doubles, seven triples and 20 home runs. Flores drove in 98 runs, stole 68 bases, slugged .549 and had a .421 on-base percentage.

Canyon Brown was selected by the Kansas City Royals as 257th overall pick during the draft. He is the highest North Carolina A&T since College Baseball Hall of Famer Al Holland was selected by the San Diego Padres as the 81st overall pick in the fourth round in 1975. 

“I am extremely excited to see Canyon drafted on the second day of the MLB Draft,” head coach Ben Hall said in a press release. “It is a dream realized, and I’m so proud of all the work he put in to make this happen. Canyon is a true testament to a player who set a goal, put the work in, stayed true to his commitments, developed, and earned this opportunity. He will be a high-level professional; the Royals got a complete player.”

Brown has a 47.4 percent rate of catching base stealers with 27 runners caught. Last season, he batted .310 with six home runs, 49 RBIs, 12 doubles, three triples with a .414 on-base percentage and a .492 slugging percentage. This led him to be recognized with first-team All-Coastal Athletic Association honors.

Brown follows in the footsteps of players drafted in the MLB under the current head coach. His teammate Xavier Meachem was drafted by the Miami Marlins last year, while Leon Hunter and Cutter Dyals were all drafted under Hall since his start during the 2015 season.

HBCU baseball programs have been gaining recognition in recent years through pop culture thanks to the release of shows like All American: Homecoming, as well as events like the HBCU Swingman Classic hosted by Ken Griffey Jr.

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