31. Greg Burns

31. Greg Burns - Outfield - 6'2 - 185lbs - Throws: Left - Bats: Left
(last year: 22)

It’s hard to believe, but Greg Burns is going to be just 22 and there is a good chance that he is the starting center fielder in Double-A Carolina in 2009. He’s been talked about by scouts since signing as a 17 year old a few years ago. Still as of now, Greg still hasn’t put together that break out campaign but some believe Carolina may be his launching pad into being that lead-off prospect many believe he will someday be.

Burns finally showed some of what scouts have been talking about since he was drafted a few years ago. He set career highs in batting average, obp, slg, ops, rbi, sb, walks, hits, doubles, and homeruns. He definitely showed some maturation as he left his teen years behind. One that that went up which was a bad thing was that his strikeout rate increased a little. His 122 strikeouts were 13 more than his previous high. In 2008, his strikeouts would again increase to a staggering 143.

The Marlins drafted Greg with the 98th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2004 amateur draft. He was signed for $395,000 and was quickly compared to a young Kenny Lofton but with more gap power. His speed was graded an 80 on the 20/80 scale by all scouts, as he can get from home to first in a lighting fast 3.9 seconds. He has showed much improvement in his base-running since coming becoming a professional, stealing 73 bases in his last 91 attempts. He has worked on his jumps while trying to learn how to read pitcher’s movements better and the results have been positive.

At the plate, Burns has a real clean swing. He has very strong hands which tend to make some scouts believe he could develop into a 10-15 homerun guy down the line. Just out of his teens, he still has a projectable body and should gain some more strength to all fields as he matures. He is a very coachable player that just wants to keep getting better. It was suggested by Assistant GM Jim Fleming, for Greg to bring a 4×4 piece of wood with him into the batting cages to properly align his feet. He did that no questions asked. Not coincidentally, his numbers began to improve late in the year. In August of 2006, he hit .299/.379/.468 which helped him end his 2006 season on a high note. Definitely a positive in his career so far is his willingness to take a walk. Plate discipline is so hard to teach, and while he strikes out more than he should, him being able to take a walk certainly improves his prospect stock.

In the field, Burns is a plus defender out in centerfield. We all know about his tremendous speed, and because of that he has great range as well. Add in his good instincts, and he can get to any ball that stays in the park. He has a strong and accurate arm, even though he has a bit of a funky delivery. 2007 was a very big year in the development of Burns, while 2008 was a step in the wrong direction. He could start the year in either Carolina or Jupiter, depending on if the front office wants to challenge Burns further or believe he will need a second season in high-A ball.

32. Jesus Delgado

32. Jesus Delgado -RHP - 6'1 - 200lbs
(last year: 24)

Another arm acquired in the payroll slash a few years ago, Jesus Delgado was rated by Baseball America as one of the best pure arms in the Red Sox system. He was originally an outfielder in Boston’s organization. After pitching strictly out of the bullpen the two prior seasons, Delgado started in 16 of his 31 appearances. The object was to see if by stretching out his arm it would help to lower his walk rate but that was not the case as he walked just about his career average a 4.32 per 9. With Carolina in 2007, he went 5-7 with a 4.80era and a 1.52whip in 93.2ip.

Delgado had Tommy John surgery in 2002, and spent most of 2003 rehabbing. His velocity has shot up since then, as he hits 95-96mph routinely and sometimes can reach 98mph. He’s still considered more of a thrower than a pitcher as he relies mostly on his explosive fastball. To go with his fastball, he has a 78-82mph curveball and a fantastic changeup that he needs to utilize more. Both secondary pitches have a chance to be plus pitches. It all depends on his control of the pitch on that day.

Marlins Vice President of Player Development and Scouting Jim Fleming absolutely raves about him. He has a great work ethic and scouts love his makeup. Florida State League hitters connected at just a .231 clip against him in 2006, while he has held Southern League hitters to a .266 and .229 baa the last two seasons. His ceiling was once as a lights out closer but now it looks like he’ll be a solid arm out of the pen. He just needs that chance, something he could get with a strong spring in 2009.

33. Todd Doolittle

33. Todd Doolittle -RHP - 5'10 - 175lbs
(last year: 30)

Going undrafted out of Mississippi State University, Todd Doolittle was considered a huge long shot to even make it to single A, let alone become a solid prospect. All that changed in 2006 when Doolittle, relieving for the first time (a pure starter in college), caught fire and dominated both Greensboro and Jupiter. Combining both stints in A ball, opposing batters hit a measly .171 off of him as he struck out nearly 11.5 batters per 9 innings. A bit old for the level of competition he was pitching against, it was still hard to ignore those kinds of numbers.

Enter 2007. I actually thought he would spend the year in Carolina, but instead he spent the year in the Florida State League with the Hammerheads. It was a tale of two halves for Todd as he was dominant before the break and terrible after it. In 27 innings before the All Star Break, Doolittle went 1-3 with a 2.33era, 9 walks and 24 strikeouts. After the break (in which he was a FSL All Star), he went 2-2 with a 5.18era in 24.1 innings. Interestingly enough, his batting average against went from .290 to .258, yet his numbers suffered because he gave up 5 homeruns, as opposed to 0 in the first half.

Last year was more of the same for Doolittle. He spent the season in Carolina and was unhittable much of the year. Southern league batters hit just .229 off him, and he struck out an awesome 61 in 44 innings of work. He threw 14 innings in the Arizona Fall League, giving up 13 hits, 6er, while allowing 5 walks and striking out 13.

Because of his overall size and throwing motion, he has garnered comparisons to former big league closer Jeff Brantley. His fastball runs about 92mph but because of his short arms, it appears to be a bit quicker. His slider is a plus pitch, registering at 55-60 on the 80 scale. He pitches with a chip on his shoulder because of how overlooked he was when he left MSU. Because of when he was signed, Todd was eligible to be taken in this season’s rule 5 draft. The Marlins caught a break as he was not taken. He’ll begin the season in AAA New Orleans and could be a contributor to the Marlins pen in 2009.

34. Garrett Parcell

34. Garrett Parcell -RHP - 6'5 - 220lbs
(last year: 46)

Garrett Parcell was one of seven San Diego State Aztecs to be taken in the 2007 amateur draft. There were some that believed the Marlins selected him too high, as he was expected to last past the 12^th round. In his final season at SD State, he only threw 9.2 innings, giving up 7 runs on 11 hits while walking 5. The low inning total was due to an arm injury which hampered him throughout the season. Before transferring to San Diego State, Garrett spent two seasons at Cypress Junior College, leading the team in saves both seasons, striking out 25 batters in 24 2/3 innings pitched his sophomore year. He was named to the All-Orange Empire Conference second team during his junior college career. Prior to the Marlins drafting him in 2007, Parcell was drafted in the 41st round by the Seattle Mariners in 2004 before deciding to attend SDSU.

The 6′5 Parcell has an easy delivery with a classic 3/4 arm slot that allows him to repeat his throwing motion. His fastball runs in the high 80s, low 90s range but it’s his 2 other pitches which allow him to miss as many bats as he does. He can throw his changeup as low as 69mph and his curveball in the mid 70s. He mixes all 3 pitches in well and that led to him to great success in his first tour of duty in Jamestown in 2007.

As the Jammers’ closer, Garrett went 4-1 with a 1.24era and a 0.99whip in 36.1 innings. He gave up 26 hits, walked just 10, while striking out 36. Like many collegiate pitchers, Jamestown was easy work for Parcell, while the SALLY would provide him a much bigger challenge. He struck out just under 9 per 9 innings and kept lefties to a .196baa (righties hit .300). He will go into 2009 as the Hammerheads closer and could see time in Carolina based on team need.

35. Edgar Olmos

35. Edgar Olmos -LHP - 6'5 - 180lbs
(last year: NR)

In the third round of the 2008 draft, the Marlins selected left handed pitcher Edgar Olmos out of Birmingham HS in Van Nuys, California. The 6’5 southpaw throws his fastball in the upper 80's with a funky whip motion. It looks like a cleaner version of Dontrelle Willis’ old delivery, with the leg kick not going as high. He has a projectable body and his loose arm action make many believe his velocity will increase over the next few seasons. Because of his delivery, his curveball shows the beginnings of having extreme table drop movement. His changeup also has the potential to be a plus pitch.

He’s going to have a lot of work to do to fix some of his mechanics but no major overhaul will be needed. In his one outing with the GCL Marlins, he struck out 5 of the 7 batters he faced. Olmos had a few nagging injuries after that, none of which had to do with his arm or elbow. He then finished off his season in extended spring training. Just 19 years old, the Marlins will take it easy with him and he’ll more than likely see more time in the GCL before heading out to Jamestown. If the Marlins feel like pushing him, he will make it up to Greensboro as well.