Deadspin: Jeff Allison’s Re-Renewed Sense Of Purpose Comes From Hamilton

Jeff Allison, the 23-year-old pitcher buried in the Florida Marlins farm system is destined to hear the Josh Hamilton comparisons throughout the rest of his career. Like Hamilton, Allison was a highly-touted prospect, a high school pitching phenom, who’s been featured in more fall-from-grace stories than positive ones in his disappointing, drug-addled career. Allison, now a pitcher for the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads, is keeping a close eye on Hamilton during this All-Star game. It’s all he’s got, really.

Allison isn’t pitching particularly well this season, but after a couple of near-fatal heroin overdoses, it’s kind of amazing that he’s even out there at all.