ARLINGTON -- Many expected the Marlins to select a collegiate bat in the first round of Sunday night¡¯s 2024 MLB Draft, but they surprised many by picking a high school slugger with upside.

Miami made South Carolina prep outfielder PJ Morlando its 16th overall pick. The organization also chose Oxford High School (Ala.) shortstop Carter Johnson 56th (Round 2) and Oregon State right-hander Aiden May 70th (Competitive Balance Round B) on Day 1 of the Draft.

The 19-year-old Morlando, who was the Gatorade South Carolina prep player of the year and is a South Carolina commit, ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 43 overall Draft prospect. He led Summerville High School with a .403 batting average, 26 runs, seven doubles, two home runs, 10 RBIs, a .602 on-base percentage and a 1.173 OPS in 32 games his senior year.

¡°He was the top player on our board, somebody that we think is an impact bat, really good outfielder, really good person, and somebody that can really add just a ton of talent to the organization,¡± president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said.

• 'My game is electric': Morlando packs power, personality

The left-handed-hitting Morlando built quite the amateur resume, 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 in Seattle. He spent two seasons on USA Baseball¡¯s U18 team, earning All-World First Baseman honors by batting .409 with four RBIs in nine games in 2023. Morlando also homered three times in seven games in '22.

But according to MLB Pipeline¡¯s scouting report, the 6-foot-3, 198-pounder¡¯s stock dropped this spring amid questions about his usable power, athleticism and tweaked swing, making it unlikely that he would go in the first round as once projected.

With high-end exit velocity and an advanced feel to hit, Morlando worked counts and made two-strike adjustments. To no fault of his own, he had a stretch of 18 consecutive intentional walks.

¡°This is a very dangerous hitter that got pitched around pretty often for good reason,¡± director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere said. ¡°When he did get his opportunities, he did very well. So this is one of those cases where we had to be there a lot to see a lot of PJ Morlando, and why we spent a lot of time with him. That's why we were so dialed in at the Combine [in June] and getting to know him more and locked in every time he did swing the bat.

¡°Because he's an incredibly patient hitter, he is not going to expand often. So getting every one of those swings was vitally important. And we spent a lot of time on it. And we spent a lot of time digging into it.¡±

The Marlins will start Morlando in center field to begin his professional career, though it wouldn¡¯t come as a surprise if he moves to a corner-outfield spot. MLB Pipeline wrote that he had a solid 60-yard dash time, but he played as more of a fringy-to-average runner with similar arm strength.

Piliere and the Marlins believe that¡¯s underestimating Morlando. Five to six high-level scouts watched him live throughout the spring and into the summer. Miami also took into account Morlando¡¯s performance at last month¡¯s MLB Draft Combine, especially when it came to the athletic data.

¡°I think we learned a lot about PJ down the stretch,¡± Piliere said. ¡°We knew the bat was really good. I think we started to really find out that there was a lot more athlete than maybe he was being given credit for, a lot more speed. So really, as special as the bat is, we think this is a really well-rounded player, the more we found out about him athletically.¡±

In Johnson, the Marlins selected an Alabama high school shortstop garnering comparisons to Orioles All-Star Gunnar Henderson because of his bigger frame (6-foot-2, 180 pounds).

Like Morlando, the 18-year-old Johnson¡¯s stock dipped this year when he struggled at some events and with the U.S. U18 team. The left-handed-hitting Johnson, who is a University of Alabama commit and ranks as MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 40 overall Draft prospect, is a mature hitter who can use the whole field.

¡°Carter Johnson, athletic shortstop, we really think can swing the bat,¡± Piliere said. ¡°This is a high-contact, projectable young body. Carter's a young player that we think has a lot of upside. There's just a lot of good outcomes here. We liked the skills at shortstop, but really it's the combination of the shortstop position, the projectability of the bat. This is a really good bat.¡±

May, 21, is a two-pitch starter in a Spencer Strider mold, per MLB Pipeline. The No. 82 overall Draft prospect¡¯s fastball doesn¡¯t get much swing-and-miss, so the 6-foot-2 right-hander throws his plus slider more. Despite the Beavers being his third collegiate program in three years and missing a month with an elbow strain, May was the program¡¯s most consistent starter.

¡°Aiden May, fantastic stuff package,¡± Piliere said. ¡°This is a guy who was good in college this year, is generally over the plate, but nasty stuff. The slider is a real weapon for him. This is a guy that touched the upper-90s. He can sink the baseball. I just think this is a really big stuff package that can impact the rotation and impact the game in a lot of ways. This is one of the stuff packages we're excited about the most, and we're thrilled to get him in this spot.¡±