Phillies add pitching depth with former Braves lefty Kolby Allard
The former first-round pick has experience out of the rotation and the bullpen.
Sixty-five days after signing starter Aaron Nola, the Phillies made their second addition of the offseason to the big league roster, agreeing to a split contract with left-hander Kolby Allard, the team announced on Tuesday. That means that Allard will make a different salary for his time spent in the major leagues and in the minor leagues. He is on the Phillies’ 40-man roster and will be in the big league spring training.
Allard, 26, will give the Phillies pitching depth and versatility. A first-round pick of the Braves in 2015, Allard has six seasons of big league experience with Atlanta and Texas, and has pitched out of bullpen and the rotation. He has one minor league option remaining.
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Allard has posted a 6.10 ERA in 245 innings over six seasons. He spent last season with Atlanta but was hampered by injuries for most of the year, spending time on the 60-day injured list with a strained right oblique muscle and, later on, nerve inflammation in his left shoulder. He posted a 6.57 ERA in four games (three of them starts) in 2023.
There is reason to believe that Allard has performed better than his ERA over the last few seasons. He has consistently put up a below-average walk rate (7.1% in 2023, 6.9% in 2022, 5.8% in 2021) and had an above-average strikeout rate in 2023 (23.2%). He throws four pitches: a four-seam fastball, a curveball, a cutter, and a changeup.
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Allard is not a high-velocity guy. His fastball averaged 90.5 mph in 2023 and 91.1 mph in 2022. His calling card is in limiting walks and finding ways to get guys out, whether it be inducing ground balls or strikeouts.
In a news release, the Phillies said Allard posted a 6.1% walk rate from 2021-23, which ranks 12th among all left-handed pitchers with at least 150 innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio over that span — 3.32 — ranked 29th among that group.