Miami Marlins select South Carolina OF commit PJ Morlando in 2024 MLB Draft

One of the top high school sluggers in the 2024 MLB Draft is off the board. South Carolina commit PJ Morlando has been selected by the Miami Marlins. Morlando was taken in the first round, No. 16 overall.

Morlando attended Summerville High School where he was named the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.

Try Fubo for FREE today and don’t miss any of the action!

Ahead of his senior season of high school, he won the High School Home Run Derby at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. He was also named the MVP of the High School All-American Game.

PJ Morlando hit .392 with a pair of home runs this season, although he didn’t get many opportunities at the plate as teams consistently pitched around him. He had an on-base percentage of better than .600.

Morlando committed to South Carolina in July of 2023. Ahead of the 2024 MLB Draft, Morlando was ranked as the No. 43 prospect, according to MLB.

South Carolina is coming off of a 37-25 season under Mark Kingston. The Gamecocks fired Kingston at the conclusion of the 2024 season and replaced him with former LSU coach Paul Mainieri.

What MLB Draft experts are saying about PJ Morlando

Ahead of the MLB Draft, MLB.com released its scouting report on PJ Morlando. The website had this to say about the outfielder:

“Morlando’s track record of performing against top competition includes winning the High School Home Run Derby and the MVP award at the High School All-American Game at the All-Star Game last July. He also starred with the U.S. 18-and-under team in each of the last two years. But his stock has dropped this spring amid questions about his usable power and athleticism, making it unlikely that he’ll go in the first round as once projected.

Gatorade’s South Carolina prep player of the year, Morlando has advanced feel to hit, showing the willingness to work counts and to make two-strike adjustments. He has bat speed and strength in his 6-foot-3, 198 pound frame, but the pop he displays in batting practice hasn’t translated into game power last summer or this spring. He can get pull-happy and his left-handed swing can get uphill on occasion.

While Morlando has caught and played some third base in the past, he’s destined for left field or first base. … He can post solid 60-yard dash times but plays as more as a fringy to average runner and possesses similar arm strength. He’ll be 19 on Draft Day and eligible again in 2026 if he attends college at South Carolina.”