Kolby Allard: The Next Tom Glavine?

Kolby Allard, the Atlanta Braves 2015 1st round pick, recently made his debut with the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Braves, and he has been spectacular in his three appearances.

Kolby Allard was the Atlanta Braves in the first round selection in the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft out of San Clemente High School, where he was a four-year varsity starter. He stands 6′ 1” and weighs roughly 175 pounds. Though he doesn’t have a large, powerful frame, he can still be an elite pitcher if he mixes up his pitches.

During his high school career, he accumulated 15 wins through 144.2 innings pitched, while maintaining a minuscule 1.74 ERA. However, during his senior season, a stress reaction sidelined the future star for almost the entire season. This did not derail his draft stock as the Atlanta Braves were keen on drafting him early.

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Allard has two plus pitches (fastball and curveball) and a nice complementary change-up. During his three appearances this season, Kolby Allard has amassed 12 strikeouts in six innings pitched, a whopping 2K/IP ratio, which is elite at any level of the game.

Although it seems foolish to compare a fresh rookie to a Hall of Famer, Kolby Allard and Tom Glavine share many similarities, starting with their frame and build. Much like Allard, Glavine was a smaller pitcher, stand 6′ 0” and weighing 175 pounds.

In addition to their similar sizes, both pitcher possessed three very similar pitches, a plus fastball, a plus curveball, and a nice change-up. Early on in Glavine’s career, his fastball hovered around 90-92 MPH; however, Allard’s fastball has a little more juice to it, ranging from 92-94 MPH.

Moreover, both pitchers had/have a nice curveball, which serve as an effective weapon in their arsenal. With a nice curveball to go with an above-average fastball, Allard should have the stuff to keep hitters off-balance.

"“This is a kid that you target early on in the summer. These are kids you follow. I saw him throw at the bullpen the night I went and saw him, and I thought it was a pipe dream.” – Brian Bridges (Head of Scouting)"

While both pitchers have effective fastballs and curveballs, the big difference between the two is that Glavine’s change-up was one of his best pitches; while, Kolby Allard’s change-up is still a work-in-progress. As Allard continues to develop in the minor leagues, his change-up should continue to improve. I believe that, once he is an active member of the Atlanta Braves, his change-up will be one of his best pitches.

If Allard can develop a nice 2-seam fastball in addition to his three nice offerings, he will have pitch movement in all directions. Thus, he can become a deceptive lefty that will wreak havoc on left-handed hitters, and he should no problem being able to effectively pitch to righties.

Although it is a stretch to compare the newly signed rookie to a Braves legend currently enshrined in the Hall of Fame, Kolby Allard’s makeup very similarly resembles a young, inexperienced Tom Glavine. The Braves are famous for developing young talent into future studs.

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