Kolby Kenneth Allard (born August 13, 1997) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He previously played for the Braves and Texas Rangers. He was selected by the Braves with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the

2015 MLB draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

Early life and amateur career

Kolby Allard was born in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

on August 13, 1997, to parents Kenny and Kristi. He has a younger brother. Allard began playing baseball at the age of five, and focused on pitching at age ten. Allard attended San Clemente High School in

San Clemente, California San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway betwee ...

. As a junior, he had a 1.32

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) with 98

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

in innings pitched. After the season, he played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic, where he was named MVP after

striking out the side In baseball, striking out the side refers to when a pitcher strikes out all the batters he faces in the defensive half- inning in which he pitches. There is no official statistic in regard to this accomplishment, though it is often noted by comment ...

in the inning he pitched. Later in the summer he played for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Allard's senior season ended prematurely after he suffered a

stress fracture A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...

in his back. Prior to the injury, Allard was projected to be a top 10 pick in the

2015 Major League Baseball Draft The 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks ...

. He committed to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

The

selected Allard with the 14th pick in the first round of the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks ...

. His high school

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

mate, Lucas Herbert, was also drafted by the Braves, 54th overall. Allard signed with the Braves on July 9 for $3 million. Allard began pitching for the

Gulf Coast League Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

in August 2015. After three scoreless appearances, he was shut down for back surgery which was described as a "minor back procedure." The Braves sent Allard to extended

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

to start the 2016 season. Allard spent 2016 with both the

Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...

and the

Danville Braves The Danville Braves were a Minor League Baseball team in Danville, Virginia. They were an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have played home games at American Legion Post 3 ...

. In 2017, he pitched for the

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. T ...

. The next year Allard was invited to spring training and ultimately began the season with the

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

. Allard pitched innings for the Stripers, recording a 2.80 ERA, 87 strikeouts and 33 walks. He was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on July 30, 2018. Allard made his major league debut the next day, pitching five innings against the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

, yielding four earned runs on five hits, as well as two walks and one strikeout. Age 20 at the time of his first appearance, Allard became the youngest left-handed pitcher since Charlie Vaughan in 1966 to record a win in his debut. Allard opened the 2019 season with Gwinnett, going 7–5 with a 4.17 ERA over 110 innings.

Texas Rangers

On July 30, 2019, Allard was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for

Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Univ ...

. He was then optioned to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

. After one start for Nashville, Allard was promoted to the Rangers. In 9 starts for Texas, Allard went 4–2 with a 4.96 ERA and 33 strikeouts over innings. He struggled greatly in 2020, when he went 0–6 with a 7.75 ERA over innings. Allard posted a 3–12 record with a 5.41 ERA and 104 strikeouts over innings in 2021 for Texas.

Atlanta Braves (second stint)

On November 9, 2022, Allard was traded to the

in exchange for

Jake Odorizzi Jacob Todd Odorizzi (born March 27, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Houston ...

and cash considerations.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allard, Kolby 1997 births Living people People from San Clemente, California Baseball players from Anaheim, California Major League Baseball pitchers Atlanta Braves players Texas Rangers players Gulf Coast Braves players Rome Braves players Danville Braves players Mississippi Braves players Gwinnett Stripers players Nashville Sounds players Round Rock Express players