In separate pre-draft interviews, Atlanta Braves assistant general manager John Coppolella and head of scouting Brian Bridges both alluded to the team's preference for high-school players in the 2015 MLB Draft. With the first of the team's five selections on Monday night, they followed that gameplan.
The Braves selected high-school pitcher Kolby Allard, a left-hander from San Clemente, Calif., with the No. 14 overall pick.
"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. I said, 'There's no way this kid gets to us,'" Bridges said of the first prep southpaw taken in the draft. "But we were fortunate that some unfortunate things happened, and here we are."
Those "unfortunate things" were injuries.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound UCLA commit missed the majority of his senior season with a stress fracture in his back after excelling in past showcase events like the 18-and-under Pan American Championships and the Perfect Game All-American Classic. Bridges expressed confidence that Allard has made a full recovery, saying the southpaw has been throwing for five weeks, and that his college commitment will not be an issue.
"Back feels great. Arm feels great," Allard said in a conference call. " ... I'm not worried about my back. It's not like a career thing. It's just like a stupid freak little thing and I'm just ready to put that past me and get back on the mound."
Allard said he's healthy enough and open to pitching in rookie ball, though he will need to sit down with the team's brass and put together a plan.
The two sides had yet to agree on a signing bonus at the time of the selection, according to Allard. The 14th overall pick comes with the expected slot value of $2,842,400.
Allard was the second left-hander off the draftboard behind Illinois standout Tyler Jay. When asked for his scouting report, Bridges said Allard boasted the "best amateur curveball in the draft." From a big-picture perspective, this looks like the type of buy-low acquisition that is becoming the calling card of the John Hart era, following the blueprint of adding prospects Max Fried, Manny Banuelos, Tyrell Jenkins and Daniel Winkler.
Here's a brief scouting report from MLB:
Following a short run of Georgia prep position players in Cornelius Randolph and Tyler Stephenson at Nos. 10 and 11, respectively, two players that were rumored to be on the hometown team's wishlist, the Braves turned to bolster the farm system's already impressive pitching depth.
Allard joins an impressive collection of left-handed prospects in the Braves farm system, including three prospects acquired through the franchise's busy offseason: Banuelos, Fried and Ricardo Sanchez.
While recent top picks like Braxton Davidson, Lucas Sims and Jason Hursh are still unknown major-league commodities with various prospect grades, the Braves have still not found much high-level success with their top overall picks in past years.
Other than outfielder Jason Heyward (No. 14 overall in 2007), who was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason before hitting free agency, the only top-of-the-line MLB talent tabbed as Atlanta's top draft choice since 2000 was Adam Wainwright -- and the perennial Cy Young candidate never pitched an inning in a Braves uniform. Mike Minor (2009) and Jeff Francoeur (2002) have logged quality seasons, but it's clear the team is looking for more after an offseason overhaul of the front office and scouting department.
"I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity," Allard said.
