Road to The Show™: Rockies’ Dollander

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at second-ranked Rockies prospect Chase Dollander. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.

Chase Dollander’s candidacy for the best pitching prospect in Rockies history was strengthened during his first pro season in 2024.

MLB Pipeline’s No. 20 overall prospect was the Rockies’ Pitching Prospect of the Year as he advanced from High-A Spokane to Double-A Hartford. Over 23 total starts, he recorded a 2.59 ERA with 169 strikeouts in 118 innings. Dollander ranked fourth in the Minors in strikeouts and second among qualifiers with 12.89 strikeouts per nine innings.

The 23-year-old’s mid-90s heater can reach 99 mph and gets good carry to the top of the zone. Much of his success hinges on his mid-80s sweeping slider, which can be his most effective weapon. He also gets good marks for his fading changeup, and his curveball can provide some separation for his breaking pitches.

The second-ranked Rockies prospect established himself as one of the best amateur pitchers in the country at the University of Tennessee in 2022. The following year, he tweaked his delivery to try and get more out of his slider, but those changes backfired and he wasn’t quite as dominant leading into the Draft.

Still, the often pitching-starved Rockies took a chance on Dollander’s upside, and it seems to be paying early dividends.

“That slider was a true wipeout pitch. So that’s some tweaking that needs to be done,” Colorado's assistant GM of scouting Danny Montgomery told MLB.com after last year’s Draft. “If this guy gets back to being the same [as 2022], he was close to being the top pick in the country.”

The native of Evans, Georgia, became a well-known name among national scouts and was a Perfect Game Preseason All-American in 2019 and 2020 at Greenbrier High School. During his junior season, he went 6-1 with an 0.79 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings. But his senior season was all but wiped out by the pandemic and he went unselected in the shortened five-round Draft.

So Dollander stayed local and attended Georgia Southern University. He debuted for the Eagles with a dominant eight-strikeout performance against Tennessee, his future program. He was named a Perfect Game Freshman All-American in 2021 after finishing with a 4.04 ERA and 64 punchouts in 49 innings.

He transferred to Tennessee, and ironically, made his first start for the Vols against Georgia Southern. And again, he was brilliant -- striking out 11 over five innings.

Dollander finished with a 10-0 record, 2.39 ERA, 108 strikeouts and 13 walks over 79 innings. He was named SEC Pitcher of the Year, a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist and he was listed as a First-Team All-American by six different publications. He was also invited to play with the USA Collegiate National Team.

He was a potential No. 1 overall pick entering his junior year. But his ERA inflated to 4.75 over 17 starts as he struggled with his slider. Still, he was one of the best amateur pitchers in the country and a prolific strikeout artist, recording 12.1 K/9.

Colorado, who had kept tabs on him since 2021, selected Dollander with the No. 9 overall pick. He signed for the exact slot value, $5,716,900, and did not make his pro debut in 2023. Instead he began an offseason program that focused on stability and building strength in his joints.

The 6-foot-2 right-hander made his first start as a pro in the Rockies’ Spring Breakout game against the D-backs, where he worked around a walk in a scoreless first inning.

Dollander’s knack for good first impressions continued in his regular-season debut for High-A Spokane, where he twirled five hitless innings and struck out eight.

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Dollander compiled a 2.83 ERA and 111 strikeouts over 70 innings with Spokane. He was named the National League starter in the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Following the break, Dollander was promoted to Double-A Hartford and posted better numbers against tougher competition. In nine starts, he finished with a 2.25 ERA and 58 punchouts over 48 innings while holding opposing batters to a .195 average.

Dollander could start to get acclimated to the Coors Field environment next season with Triple-A Albuquerque in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The Rockies have no reason to rush his development. But it’s a realistic possibility that Dollander will be able to force his way onto the Major League roster as soon as next season.