Kolby Allard
Another one of the Phillies’ offseason signings, Kolby Allard was inked to a one-year contract to add valuable pitching depth. As a former first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves back in 2015, Allard has struggled to find his game during the past six seasons in the big leagues split between the Braves and Texas Rangers. The Phillies were hoping that they could find a way to finally unleash his potential, taking on the risky yet workable reclamation project.
Allard spent the majority of the 2024 season in the minors with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs. With the IronPigs, he posted a 3-8 record with a 5.38 ERA and 1.61 WHIP, giving up 15 home runs, with 34 walks and 74 strikeouts in 82 innings over 20 games (which included 14 starts).
When he did get the call from the Phillies, he failed to impress in his brief stints with the big league club. In seven MLB appearances that included four starts, Allard posted a 5.00 ERA and 1.56 WHIP, giving up five home runs, along with 34 hits, eight walks and 23 strikeouts in 27 innings. More importantly, when the Phillies desperately needed a reliable fifth starter in the rotation after Walker’s run with injuries and ineffectiveness, Allard did not rise to the occasion to be the answer for the spot.
With Allard putting up similar underwhelming numbers that he has throughout his MLB career, it appears as though this could really be as good as he gets. He also has no minor league options remaining so the Phillies won’t have the ability to experiment with him again in the big leagues for the upcoming season.
With plenty of pitching options available in free agency this upcoming offseason, along with some potential internal options available in Painter and perhaps even Mick Abel as well, Allard’s tenure with the Phillies will likely be coming to an end this offseason.