Miami Marlins draft news are a bit controversial

This season has been an unmitigated disaster for the Miami Marlins. At this point we're just waiting to see who gets traded next. Will it in fact be a former ace? Right now with the season halfway over, and the Trade Deadline a few weeks away, the annual MLB draft has become the main story. Are you ready to find out why The Fish's first round pick is controversial?

The Miami Marlins made some odd decisions in the first round.

South Carolina OF PJ Morlando is the next member of the Miami Marlins organization at pick #16. This was perhaps a slightly od pick. Why didn't The Fish take a college bat? I've always been a proponent of taking the biggest "sure thing" possible. The draft is ultimately a "crapshoot". We don't know who will become a star and who will be a bust. This makes college players more risk-free additions and makes high school players look significantly more risky.

PJ Morlando is a 19 year old who was #43 on the pre-draft list. Wait what? #43? Didn't The Fish select him at #16?! What is going on here?! He led his high school (Summerville High School) with a very impressive .403 batting average. He also had 2 home runs and 10 RBI in 32 games. That's of course a pretty impressive performance. It's also at a high school level, which is the issue here.

Peter Bendix had this to say about him:

“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.”

Morlando also spent two years on the USA Baseball U18 team as well. It is however notable that his stock dropped prior to the draft. There were questions about about his athleticism, tweaked swing and power. He does supposedly have an advanced skillset and excellent Exit Velocity. Let's hope that it translates well whenever he gets called up to the Major League team. For now, I'll hold my opinion.