Deemed by Baseball America as having “one of the best blends of hitting ability and power in the 2024 class”, Morlando earned 2024 South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year honors
MIAMI – The Miami Marlins tonight selected center fielder PJ Morlando out of Summerville High School (Summerville, S.C.) with the 16th overall selection in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Morlando, 19, is ranked as the 33rd-best prospect by FanGraphs after a standout senior season with Summerville High School that saw him earn South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year honors. He led the team with a .403 batting average (31×77), along with 26 runs, seven doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI, a .602 OBP, and a 1.173 OPS in 32 games last season. Morlando also recorded a perfect fielding percentage after not committing an error in 47 total chances during the past campaign.
The University of South Carolina commit, tabbed as the 42nd-best prospect in the Class of 2024 by ESPN, was named Most Valuable Player at last year’s High School All-American Game and was crowned the High School Home Run Derby champion. The six-foot-three-inch, left-handed batter also played for the USA Under-18 team in each of the past two seasons, batting .409 with four RBI in nine games for the United States in 2023, earning All-World First Baseman honors. He also homered three times in seven games in 2022, including driving in a run during the Gold Medal game versus Panama on November 13.
The Marlins have two more picks tonight at No. 56 and No. 70 to conclude the first day of the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft. For additional information on the 2024 Miami Marlins, please visit Marlins.com.
| RD | PICK | PLAYER | POS | B/T | HT | WT | DOB | SCHOOL | HOMETOWN | ||||
| 1 | 16 | PJ Morlando | CF | L/R | 6’3 | 198 | 5/16/2005 | Summerville HS | Summerville, S.C. |
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