MIAMI -- Before PJ Morlando arrived at loanDepot park on Friday afternoon to sign his first professional contract, he and his family needed to make a stop.
Morlando, who has worked with jewelry company GLD in the past, picked up a custom-made Marlins chain for one reason.
“I wore this so my boy Jazz can see it,” said Morlando, who shares mutual friends with the Marlins’ center fielder.
So there stood Morlando, selected 16th overall by Miami last Sunday in the 2024 MLB Draft, displaying some big league-worthy drip to complement the home Marlins jersey he was presented with.
The maize-blonde ballplayer with an infectious personality and intangibles off the charts drew in director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere. It wasn’t his raw power or bat-to-ball skills that hooked Piliere this spring. Instead, it was Morlando’s pregame work, especially in the cage.
“He plays with a lot of flash in his game, but he's just such a humble kid and respects the game and respects the people who got him here,” Piliere said. “He loves the game. He has fun playing the game, and it shows.
“Just from that perspective, he talks about it a lot [and] he wants to make the game fun. He wants to engage people. He wants people to be excited about the Marlins. These are the things you don't hear a lot of players talk about in general, let alone a 19-year-old player.”
That much was obvious.
Despite being pulled in every direction during batting practice, Morlando didn’t appear overwhelmed. He signed autographs and took photos with fans. He held his own with the media. He sat in on the hitters’ meeting and met manager Skip Schumaker inside his office.
The 19-year-old Morlando, who signed for $3.4 million, according to MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis, has been dreaming of this moment since he was 7 years old. He told his mother, Christy, he would play professional baseball one day.
The family, including younger sister Lennea, bounced around because Morlando’s father, Perry, spent more than 20 years with the Air Force. Morlando was born in the Washington, D.C., area, moved to New Orleans, La., and Clearwater, Fla., before residing in South Carolina for the past decade.
“All the kids would cry if they lost,” said Christy, whose father, Bill Nahorodny, was a big leaguer for nine seasons. “PJ was sad, but you wouldn't see it in him. He was just like, ‘All right, I'm going to play another day.’ He understood that part of it, more than I think the other kids did. And that's what impressed me the most. Then came the power. Then came the home runs. ‘OK, maybe this is it.’”
Entering the Draft, Morlando had become one of the top prep hitters by capturing 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 played for two seasons on USA Baseball’s U18 team and was named the 2024 Gatorade South Carolina prep player of the year after compiling a .403 batting average, a .602 on-base percentage and a 1.173 OPS in 32 games his senior year at Summerville High School -- despite often being pitched around.
Any questions about Morlando’s athleticism were answered at the MLB Draft Combine in June, when he debuted a new stance to tap into his raw power and showcased speed that could cover center field. His joie de vivre, which Morlando inherited from his mom, assured the organization he would be fine when the growing pains of pro ball surfaced.
“You think about baseball, and especially Minor League life,” Piliere said. “Resilience, especially for a 19-year-old player who has not really failed, he's going to at some point. We think he's going to be really ready to bounce back from that because all he's ever really done is dominate. Dominate in the summer, dominate high school, and all these guys hit a speed bump.
“I think one of the things we vet really well is, ‘What is he going to look like when he does fail?’ For all of them. And some of them you worry about. We don't worry about PJ with that. He's going to bounce back.”
Morlando will soon report to Jupiter, Fla., where his journey just gets started. He will remind himself of Schumaker’s advice: Enjoy every single moment and don't get too focused on the results, just the progress.
“If I can go down there and start right now, I would,” Morlando said. “I'm really excited. This is -- again -- the opportunity I've been praying for my whole life. I'm really, really excited.”