36. Jeff Allison

36. Jeff Allison -RHP - 6'2 - 195lbs
(last year: 37)

Because of the Marlins record in 2002, they had the 16th overall pick in the 2003 draft. They decided on the right-handed Jeff Allison from Veterans Memorial HS, in Peabody, Massachusetts. In his senior season at VMHS, Allison went 9-0, 0,00era with 142 strikeouts in 64 innings, giving up just 13 hits, nine walked and 1 unearned run. He only fell to the Marlins at 16 because of bonus demands, but that didn’t scare the Marlins away as they gave him a $1.85mil bonus. Right away he was compared to Marlins pitcher Josh Beckett and some believed he would be on the same kind of fast track that Josh was on. Allison had the best fastball (92-97mph) and curveball (80-86mph with nasty break) of any pitcher in the draft. In his first 9 major league innings, Allison didn’t allow a run. He was slated to debut for the low-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in 2004, but he took a major detour. Jeff nearly died after overdosing on the drugs oxycontin and heroine. After what looked he got his act together, Jeff made his Greensboro debut in 2005. Because of the layoff Allison’s stuff wasn’t nearly as good, but there were flashes of brilliance. His fastball was down to the high 80s-low 90s, but the big curveball was still there. He improved start by start and by the end of the year, he was going 6-7 innings in each start.

Again it looked like his career was getting back on track. Then in August of 2006 he overdosed again. Massachusetts police found Allison unconscious in an apartment building. Rescue workers revived Allison at the scene, and he was hospitalized in Winchester, Mass., and later released. In October of 2006, Jeff was arrested after an officer found him driving what was reportedly a stolen Dodge Ram. Inside the truck were heroin and drug paraphernalia, specifically syringes. He was facing 3 felony charges. He has since been able to get his life back on track.

His season in Jupiter this year was a mixed bag. He pitched great in his first10 starts of the year and then got hit hard towards the end of May and all of June. His arm got tired down the stretch but that was to be expected of him. Jeff no longer has the 95mph fastball he once had as he mainly works in the upper 80s and can reach 91-92 on occasion. His curveball shows glimpses of the table-dropper he once had. His changeup is still an above average pitch. The Marlins chose not to place him on the 40 man roster this year, meaning he is eligible to be taken in the Rule 5 Draft. There’s a great chance that he is not selected and if that is the case, he will spend the season in AA Carolina.

37. Jai Miller

37. Jai Miller - Outfield - 6'4 - 195lbs - Throws: Right - Bats: Right
(last year: 18)

Jai Miller was the first three sport All Star in Alabama prep history. He had signed a letter of intent to go to Stanford, where he would play wide receiver and point guard for the Cardinal. The Marlins drafted him in the 4th round (113) of the 2003 amateur draft. He fell a bit because teams believed he really wanted to play the other two sports in college. Area scout Dave Dangler had a strong relationship with Jai’s father, and this allowed the Marlins to sign him for $250,000. Jai has had much to deal with, as his mother and grandmother were tragically killed in a car accident, but he decided to continue on his dream to play professional baseball. Based on size alone, the 6′4 right hander has drawn many comparisons to former Marlins outfielder, Preston Wilson. Blessed with a quick pair of hands Jai has fantastic bad speed. There isn’t a fastball that can be thrown by him. Unfortunately, opposing pitchers know this, so they throw him a steady diet of breaking balls. Miller was rated as having 70 speed (20-80 scale). He has been timed as fast as 4.05 from home to first base. Even though he has that tremendous speed, this has not translated into a great stolen base success rate. His problem is that he doesn’t get good enough jumps from first base, but he has been working on this.

In 2006, Jai took a new approach with him to Jupiter. Instead of swinging for the fences as he had done in his first four season in the minors, he decided to just concentrate on putting the ball in play. On the one hand, his strikeouts went down for the third straight year (163-139-115) but on the flipside, he hit zero homeruns. We all know the Florida State League isn’t exactly a hitter’s paradise, but was a bit alarming that he couldn’t even “luck” into a homerun. While he still struck out much too often, he still showed an ability to get on base via the walk. From 2005-2007, Jai’s walk rate (OBP-AVG) has been .098, .099 and .093 which are all well above average. The bad part is that he can't seem to hit a high enough average where his walk rate can boost his OBP towards the .370-.380 range. Never projected as a batting champion, I said before the season that he would need to hit atleast .260 with power in order to become a legit prospect in my eyes. 2007 was somewhat of a breakout for Jai as he hit .261/.354/.438 in his Southern League (AA) debut.

Because of his world class speed, Jai tends to drift under balls, instead of running to a spot and waiting for the ball to get there. He has a very strong arm, although he has an odd grip which tends to make the ball fade a bit. He has no problems running to either side, or straight back to the wall, but he needs to improve coming in on low liners and bloops. Miller’s 2008 season was somewhat disappointing considering he played in the Pacific Coast League. With the Marlins doing their spring cleaning early, there’s a potential bench spot to be had and if not, he could get a call early on if there is an injury. He has the luxury of being on the 40 man roster, so he could get a look before other higher touted prospects. Jai should begin the season in the Marlins new AAA affiliate, New Orleans.

38. Paul Gran

38. Paul Gran - Third Base - 5'11 - 182lbs - Throws: Right - Bats: Left
(last year: NR)

In the seventh round of the 2008 draft, the Marlins selected third baseman Paul Gran. The senior out of Washington State was signed to a $40,000 bonus. In his final year at Wazzou, he hit .313 and was named Pac-10 defensive player of the year.

Gran’s best tool at this point is his defense at third base. He has excellent range and an above average arm for the position. His left handed bat along with his above average speed (rated 55 on the 20-80 scale) projects him to be a future all around utility guy although some believe he could be a starting caliber player at second base. He’s a smart hitter and has surprising pull power for a smaller player.

Gran impressed in his debut after being signed. He hit .322/.387/.460 with 23 extra base hits, and 23 walks. He struck out 56 times in 276 at bats. He’ll be 23 when he goes to Greensboro in 2009, but he could spend half the year in Jupiter if he hits well enough.

39. Steven Cishek

39. Steven Cishek -RHP - 6'6 - 200lbs
(last year: 33)

The Marlins selected Steven Cishek in the 5th round of the 2007 draft out of Carson-Newman College, a small school in Tennessee. He pitched mostly out of the bullpen with CNC. In 43 innings, Cishek struck out 43 against 10 walks, posted a 3.14 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .228 batting average. The 6'6 righty really impressed after being drafted and making 25 appearances in short-season Jamestown. He absolutely dominated the New York-Penn League, giving up just 20 hits in 32.1 innings. He struck out nearly 1 per inning, and walked 19. The walks are a bit of a concern, but some believe he is just "effectively wild". Opposing batters hit just .175 off of him.

While his era was high in Greensboro, the rest of his peripheral numbers were pretty good. He struck out just under one batter per inning and gave up fewer hits than innings pitched. The walks are still high but it’s an improvement over his walk rate from a season ago.

When scouts looked at him as a senior in high school, he was throwing in the low 80s but as he has gotten stronger over the past 3 seasons, he now hits in the low 90s, but has been clocked at 95mph. His slider is still average at this point but it made great strides last year, while his changeup has all the makings of a plus pitch. His college coach suggested that if he was at a bigger school, he would have been a 1st rounder.

Cishek should take on Jupiter this year; with a chance at a promotion to Carolina if the situation warrants. The continued development of his slider should help him climb the relief pitcher prospect ladder in this organization.

40. Torre Langley

40. Torre Langley - Catcher - 5'9 - 175lbs - Throws: Right - Bats: Right
(last year: 29)



Standing at 5-9 and weighing just 175 pounds, there is nothing too striking about Torre Langley. One of the top rated catchers in the 2006 draft, the Marlins took him in the 3rd round and rewarded him with a $422,500 signing bonus. He struggled in his professional debut in 2006, hitting a combined .172/.202/.381 which is certainly nothing to write home about. His career thus far has been a disappointment as well.

Torre Langley was named after former Yankees manager Joe Torre. Compared to Jorge Posada on the offensive end and Pudge Rodriguez on the defensive side, Langley was said to have all the potential in the world. Scouts suggested he would eventually turn into a good power prospect as well, but at this point he is mostly a gap to gap hitter. Although Torre just started catching in high school, his catch and throw skills are well above average, and he has an extremely strong arm as well. He has alot of confidence in himself, bordering on cockiness, but scouts love that about him. He excels on the big stage and isn’t afraid to make a snap throw to first base every now and then.

2007 was definitely an improvement off 2006. He spent the majority of the year in Jamestown, and had a decent .715ops. Of note is that in his short 319 at bat career, Torre has just 20 walks. That's Miguel Olivo territory right there. That's certainly something to pay attention to as his career as a prospect won't last too long if his on base percentage is mainly determined by his batting average.

This season was a definite step back in the development of Langley. He couldn’t hit for average or for power and he couldn’t get on base. His defense has improved but 2009 is now going to be quite pivotal for Torre. He’s still young at 21 years old, but he’ll be repeating Greensboro again and if the numbers don’t show significant signs of improvement, he could be passed on the depth chart by numerous other catchers.