Kolby Allard

A UCLA recruit, Allard continued a recent tradition of top-rated pitchers coming up injured prior to the National High School Invitational, joining other pitchers such as Jordan Sheffield, Dylan Cease and Lucas Giolito. Allard's issue was a stress reaction in his back, less of a concern than the arm injuries that felled other prospects this year around the country. Allard was the youngest player on USA Baseball's 18U national team last summer, helping the team win a gold medal, and has compiled a long track record for a high school pitcher that made him the top arm in the class entering the spring. He has a firm fastball that has touched 96 and sits in the low 90s. He does it easy with a feel for the strike zone. Allard has the hand speed to throw a tight, plus downer curveball, which was considered one of the best in the last last summer. He'd made just two starts before coming up injured this spring. Allard had begun workouts to potentially return to the field in early May, and scouts were speculating he could get back on a mound for some private workouts before the draft, but clubs likely were going to have to consider last summer's performance and this spring's medical reports as the key information for where to rank Allard.