Jeff Allison is trying hard to regain his old form.
Jeff Allison's offseason diet may not be for everyone, but it's working for him. The retooled 24-year-old Florida Marlins' right-handed pitching prospect from Peabody has dropped 17 pounds, per request of the parent club. "I'm eating right, doing the right things with nutrition, and have no carbs after (midnight). I also exercise a lot," Allison said. --- Well, there is something else: a weight loss down to around 195-200 lbs. would be nice. That's what he weighed when he was named the National High School Baseball Player of the Year in 2003 at Peabody High, and it's what the Marlins wanted him to report to spring training at this season after he tipped the scales at 225 lbs. a year ago. "The club thinks (his weight last season) it affected my arm speed," Allison said in a phone interview yesterday. --- "I'm proving something to myself, Allison said. "They have a fitness test where you have to run a mile-and-a-half in spring ball. That might seem small to some people, but to me, I've run it two minutes lower in the offseason. I'm running and getting faster and have more agility. I know I'm going to be better (i.e., physically stronger) this year. Things are looking up right now, and my speed is coming back."
I'm not sure going back to his high school weight is all that desirable since when men get older and put on more muscle their weight tends to increase. That said, if his increase in weight wasn't muscle, and apparently it wasn't, losing the extra pounds may definitely benefit.
Jeff Allison's goal for the upcoming season is:
Allison would love to wind up with the Jacksonville Suns of the Double-A Southern League this year. "If I was a betting man and I'm consistent in the spring, well, I can only assume where I'll be going," Allison said. "I'd like to there, start there, and see where my career takes me from there."
Allison's new found dedication in trying to achieve his potential could be attributed to hard work and a lose of weight. But if you ask me, the following has more to do with it than anything else.
A big part of doing so, said Allison, involves his girlfriend Aubry, who is in nursing school at the University of Florida. The two have been close for about seven months, and he brought her home to have Christmas with his family. "She's very intelligent, a young woman with a lot of goals," he said. "She's a wonderful part of my life. Without Aubry and my family I don't know where I'd be. "I feel like I've found a new life," Allison said.
Here at FishStripes we have always wished the best for Jeff Allison and now is no different. And maybe, just maybe, everything is in place where it will come to pass.
Best of luck Jeff! And oh, keep listening to Aubry she seems to be the best thing that has ever happened to you.