With the fourteenth pick in the draft, the Braves have selected high school starting pitcher Kolby Allard. Keith Law ranked Allard 6th in his final mock, while MLB.com and Baseball America were in agreement that he'd fall to the Pittsburgh Pirates at 19th overall. He was a lock to go in the top 10 before he re-injured his back this season, but of the four high school talents that have some type of issue, Allard is the safest bet.
Allard is the latest addition to a strong farm system for Atlanta, joining lefties Max Fried, Ricardo Sanchez and Manny Banuelos. He will likely take some time before reaching the major leagues, fitting in with the Braves' continuing re-building process.
He won MVP honors at the Perfect Game All-American Classic this year, and helped pitch Team USA to a gold medal at the 18-and-under Pan American Championships in Mexico. In that tournament, Allard struck out 17 of the 29 hitters he faced, and has two plus pitches. His fastball tops out at 96 mph, and features a tight breaking curveball. Despite his size, Allard projects as a starter because of his smooth delivery and ability to command the strike zone.