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Braves sign top Draft pick Allard

Club has not confirmed signing

DENVER -- After spending the past couple weeks experiencing some unexpected extended negotiations, the Braves felt some relief on Thursday, when they reached an agreement with Kolby Allard, their top selection in the 2015 MLB Draft. The Braves have not commented on this deal, which is pending a physical.

An industry source confirmed that Allard has reached an agreement on a $3,042,000 signing bonus, which is $200,000 over the recommended slot for this year's 14th overall pick. ESPN's Keith Law was the first to report the signing bonus figure.

When Allard was selected by the Braves with the 14th overall selection, he was heralded as one of the best available pitchers in this year's Draft. The 17-year-old product of California's San Clemente High School would have likely gone much sooner had he not missed most of his senior season with a stress fracture in his back.

"I'm not worried about my back," Allard said. "It's not like it's a career thing. It's just a freaky little thing. I'm ready to put it behind me."

It appears Allard will soon have the opportunity to do so. Late Thursday afternoon, he posted on Twitter that he was ready to begin his journey.

Tweet from @KolbyAllard: Headin' out to #BravesCountry in a couple days, let the journey begin!!! ����⚾️ #CHOPNation

Though Allard does not have a physically-imposing frame, he features two plus pitches -- a fastball that has sat between 92-94 mph and curveball that Braves scouting director Brian Bridges described as one of the best available in this year's Draft.

Allard fanned 17 of the 29 hitters he faced while leading Team USA to a gold medal in last summer's Pan American Championship.

"He pitches to both sides of the plate and the changeup is on the come, like most prep pitches," Bridges said. "But he has a very good arm and he's a great kid."

The Braves have now reached an agreement with each of their first 25 selections.

Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Hardball in the Rockies, and follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb.
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