Arizona Diamondbacks 2024 Player Review: Logan Allen

The D-backs' long-man embraced his unsung role, but didn't see much opportunity.

Jun 8, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Logan Allen (22) pitches during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images at Petco Park. / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

This article is part of a series chronicling the individual seasons of players who appeared for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.

Reviews for players that still have rookie eligibility for 2025 will appear in our prospect season reviews. Players are presented in the reverse order of their aWAR, an average of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs WAR.

LHP Logan Allen

2024 contract: one year, $740,000 - prorated to $214,812 for time on MLB roster

Logan Allen 2024 and career statistics / Alex D'Agostino | Diamondbacks On SI

The name Logan Allen might immediately lend one to picture the Cleveland Guardians' young right-handed starting pitcher.

This is not that same Logan Allen, although this one--a left-hander--did spend time with the Guardians in 2020 and 2021.

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed the lefty to a minor league deal in December of 2023, and invited him to Spring Training. Allen wouldn't make the initial Opening Day roster, beginning his season in Triple-A with the Reno Aces.

He made just three appearances (including two starts) with the Aces, pitching to a respectable 3.00 ERA over the small sample size in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

But on April 17, the D-backs sent righty reliever Luis Frias and lefty starter Tommy Henry down to Reno. They selected Allen's contract in a corresponding move, and the left-hander came up to the majors alongside young fireballer Justin Martinez.

Despite profiling as a starter, and making starts with the Aces, Allen served purely a long-relief role for the D-backs. He pitched three or more innings for Arizona in each of his first three major league appearances in 2024.

It wasn't a glamorous role for Allen. While he did put forward three solid outings, allowing just three earned runs over his first 11 innings with the Diamondbacks, he was primarily used as a way of preserving Arizona's top relievers.

A short blowup start by a D-backs' starter, or a huge lead often necessitated Allen's services. But he generally stayed ready for any situation, getting some shorter, more important outings to go along with his mop-up duties.

Allen never complained. In fact, he embraced the job and took pride in helping keep Arizona's best relievers fresh. I wrote about Allen's 'unsung hero' role and behind-the-scenes contributions to the D-backs, as the reliever kept a positive attitude and work ethic.

Allen's month of May was a bit of a struggle, though it was partially situational. Entering the game in a variety of situations, sometimes facing a large deficit or runners on base, the lefty pitched to a 5.54 monthly ERA in May.

He did, however, pitch multiple innings in four of his seven appearances that month, and posted three scoreless appearances. His final outing of May saw him deliver four quality innings, after the New York Mets put up eight runs against left-hander Jordan Montgomery over just four innings.

The D-backs faced an early 8-3 deficit, and Allen did his part to try and keep a comeback within reach. He allowed two runs over his four innings, and Arizona ultimately fell just one run short of a miraculous comeback.

To open June, Allen tossed three scoreless innings against the Giants, but was obliterated by the Padres three days later, giving up six runs over just one inning of work.

The single exceptionally poor outing took Allen's very solid 3.67 ERA, and ballooned it to 5.46. His FIP remained over a full run lower at 4.35, suggesting a bit of bad luck to go along with his somewhat artificially-inflated numbers.

Following the blowup, Allen was designated for assignment. He would clear waivers, and the D-backs sent him to Triple-A outright three days later. Arizona then signed him to another minor league deal, and the lefty pitched for the Reno Aces for the remainder of the year as a starting pitcher.

Allen made 14 starts for the Aces, starting out decently, but stumbling in the offense-heavy PCL to close out the year. In August, he allowed 27 earned runs over 30 innings. His September saw some improvement, but he ended the year with a 5.23 minor league ERA, to go along with his 5.46 major league number.

2025 Outlook

Allen remains in Reno, with a useful skillset and an ability that perhaps supercedes his poorer stats. Of course, the D-backs would hope to not have need for long relief or extra pitching depth, but Allen does provide both of those things in a humble and hardworking fashion.

With how many pitchers, injuries and unique situations occur throughout an MLB season, it's not unlikely that Allen could see some major league time in 2025, but he did seem to falter (even in Triple-A) as the season wound down.

It's possible Allen could don a Diamondbacks uniform again, but as it stands, Arizona will look to move forward with their current bullpen or add to it externally before calling upon the left-hander again.

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