TODAY: The Rockies officially selected Dollander’s contract, and optioned Bradley Blalock to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
APRIL 4: The Rockies are going to promote their top pitching prospect, reports Patrick Lyons of Just Baseball. Right-hander Chase Dollander will make his major league debut when he starts for the club on Sunday. There’s already an opening on the 40-man roster, so the club will only need to make a corresponding active roster move.
Dollander, now 23, has been a hyped-up name for a while now. He put up big numbers for Tennessee and was ranked as one of the top players available in the 2023 draft. The Rockies selected him with the ninth overall pick and then signed him to a slot-value bonus of $5,716,900.
He made his professional debut last year in impressive fashion. He tossed 118 innings over 23 starts, going from High-A to Double-A in the process. He allowed just 2.59 earned runs per nine, striking out 33.9% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 9.4% clip.
Going into 2025, the industry consensus is that he’s one of the top prospects in the league. Baseball America currently lists him #7 overall and MLB Pipeline #24. FanGraphs had him at #12 to start the season, but with the now-graduated Dylan Crews as one of the guys ahead of him. ESPN had Dollander at #14, though also behind Crews. Keith Law of The Athletic was more bearish, putting Dollander down at #75, with concerns about some of his results in Tennessee.
The Rockies reportedly gave some consideration to having Dollander in the season-opening rotation. They sent him to Triple-A Albuquerque instead, where he made one start, allowing one earned run over four innings. The big league club started the season with just four games before their first off-day, having Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, Ryan Feltner and Germán Márquez start those.
Austin Gomber likely would have had a fifth spot but he started the season on the 15-day injured list with shoulder soreness. He made a rehab start for Albuquerque but was scratched from making a second due to inflammation in that shoulder, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Perhaps due to Gomber’s setback, Dollander will get an early-season call-up.
The big unknown will be how Dollander handles the challenges of pitching at Coors Field, the most hitter-friendly venue in the big leagues. Geoff Pontes of Baseball America believes Dollander is well-positioned to succeed, even though plenty of other talented arms have struggled there. Pontes points out that pitchers with low release heights, such as Dollander, have previously fared well at Coors. The piece also cites the spin efficiency of Dollander’s fastball, which sits between 96 and 98 miles per hour, as a factor that could work in his favor. In addition that fastball, he throws a changeup, a curveball and another breaking ball that is characterized as either a slider or a cutter by various sources.
If Dollander can thrive at Coors, he could become the most important arm in the rotation for their next competitive window. The club has been losing for a long time now but have seen some young players come up and establish themselves as building blocks, such as Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop and Brenton Doyle in center field.
In the rotation, there’s little long-term certainty. Márquez and Gomber are impending free agents while the contracts for Senzatela and Freeland are only guaranteed through 2026, with options for 2027. It’s possible the Rockies sign new deals with those pitchers but they’re all in their 30s now regardless. At 23 years old, Dollander could potentially be the rock of the group for many years to come, if everything breaks right.
Though he wasn’t on the Opening Day roster, he is getting called up early enough to potentially earn a full service year in 2025. A baseball season is 187 days long but a player needs only 172 days on the active roster or injured list to get a full year. If he’s not optioned down to the minors at any point, he would be on track to qualify for free agency after the 2030 campaign, though a notable optional assignment would push that trajectory by one year.
If he does stay up, the Rockies would be eligible to potentially receive an extra draft pick. The current collective bargaining agreement introduced measures to combat service time manipulation. One such measure is that a team can earn an extra draft if they promote a top prospect early enough to earn a full service year. To qualify, a player must be on two of the three Top 100 lists of BA, ESPN and MLB Pipeline. The player must then win Rookie of the Year or place in the top three of MVP or Cy Young voting in their pre-arbitration seasons.
Those will perhaps be factors later in the year. For now, one of the best young pitchers in the game is coming up to the majors. Facing big league hitters for the first time is always a fascinating challenge for any pitching prospect but the interest level is arguably even higher in this case, given the unique circumstances of Coors Field and Dollander’s potential importance to the franchise.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri and Steven Branscombe, Imagn Images
Being a top pitching prospect and having to face the challenge of being drafted by the team that plays at Coors Field seems rough. Best of luck to him.
I would be shocked if he can get an ERA under 4 in coors
I remember the likes of Jeff Francis highly touted and came into Coors and just destroyed his confidence. I sure hope they handle Chase better than they did Francis
Data- Or Darryl Kyle. Or Mike Hampton. The list goes on and on..
Jeff Francis is not the best example. He had a near Cy Young season for the Rockies in 2007. Darryl Kile, Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle, Bill Swift, Bret Saberhagen are all good examples, but the thing they all have in common is that they all pitched before the humidor in Colorado. Colorado is still a good hitter’s park, but not that much different than any other hitter’s park like Cincy or Philly now.
Hiflew…it’s certainly different because the OF dimensions are much larger than those parks. It makes for easier gap issues
Yeah I get that. But Kansas City has a larger outfield than Coors and it is considered one of the more pitcher friendly parks in the league. So it is not JUST outfield size.
I think the bigger thing is fear. More outfielders are afraid of ball being hit over their head so they play deeper than normal and that causes more shallow flies to fall in than other places. The gaps are definitely in play too, but not really that much more than other parks.
the big difference between dollander and all those guys minus maybe saberhagen and he was older by then, is velocity. the 1 thing that plays even at coors is premium velocity. not sure how Colorado has failed so miserably at trying to stockpile hard throwing arms. should be the priority. speed up the middle should be the next priority and it seems as though they’ve finally figured that part out
That is not their philosophy. Colorado’s philosophy had always been to get sinker throwers that keep the ball on the ground. Might not be agreeable, but it’s there way of doing it.
Saberhagen’s age wasn’t really his problem in Colorado. He was only 31 when he was traded there, The problem was his health. He only pitched 9 games in a year and a half. He also did well in Boston for a couple years after his Rockies stint
Jeff Francis? Really. Not the best example
Best example is Mike Hampton going from top 10 starter to horrible
Best example is Mike Hampton going from top 10 starter to horrible
=======================
One of maybe the 3 stupidest excuses for taking the most money. Because of the school system. Like the public school systems in Westchester or L.I. are some of the best in the country. With no shortage of outstanding private schools.
Mike Hampton sucked in Denver because he didn’t go to private school in Long Island?
Mike Hampton sucked in Denver because he didn’t go to private school in Long Island?
==========================
He said that the reason he signed with the Rox wasn’t because they offered him more money.
It was because they had a better school system. Stupidest excuse ever.
Does Coors Field control Jeff Francis’ velocity? Because last I checked, that guy’s walk rate was off the charts. But let’s blame Coors Field on that too. Plain and simple, Jeff Francis was just not good at all.
Of course you can blame Coors for a high walk rate. That is EXACTLY what you blame Coors for. Pitchers tend to be a lot more cautious and nibble at the edges instead of going after batters. That leads to more walks.
Jeff Francis’s career ERA at Coors = 4.92
Clayton Kershaw’s career ERA at Coors = 4.64
Do not even try to tell me that Jeff Francis was not good at all. If Jeff Francis was drafted by the Dodgers or Giants or some other pitcher’s park team, he would have had a much better career. And if Kershaw was drafted by the Rockies, which was a possibility, he would have been out of the league 10 years ago.
One more stat
Number of dogs named after Francis in my home = 1
Number of dogs named after Kershaw in my home = 0
If that doesn’t say it all, nothing will.
@hiflew
Coors is much different from other hitters’ parks. The altitude makes it so pitchers break 25% less, and 25% more runs are scored. 10% more are scored in Cincinnati.
Also, Kauffman is not a pitchers’ park. In fact, it’s Statcast park factor was fourth highest in the league behind Coors, Fenway, GABP.
Data from 2022-24, way after humidor.
Jeff Francis didn’t have much success out of any other organizations. Here and there he did, with ironically his best season with the Rockies. The good pitchers know how to pitch in tougher situations. I’m sure there’s some pitchers who fared okay at Coors.
I understand Coors Field has “factors,” but every pitcher deals with them, so it shouldn’t be used as an excuse for one over the other. I dont care if they were on the Rockies or not, every given day at Coors, both teams go through the same “factors.”
Rockies just haven’t had a good team most times.
Francis had a better ERA in Coors than outside of Coors.
And just for more fun with numbers, Francis had 659.1 road innings from 2004-2015. FG lists 67 pitchers with at 650 IPs during that period.
And where did Francis rank out of the 67? That’s right, he was #67. The single worst pitcher in baseball.
Pitching is mostly confidence. If you get your confidence shattered early in your career enough times, it’s not going to help later on.
Yes there are some pitchers that have fared much better at Coors than other places. Jorge de la Rosa is probably the most famous example. But he is the exception, not the rule.
hiflew
If you get your confidence shattered early in your career enough times, it’s not going to help later on.
====================
But again, Coors did nothing to shatter his confidence.
2005 H-4.88 A-6.40
2006 4.30/4.05
2007 4.20/4.24
2008 5.15/4.88
2010 4.86/5.15
He pitched much better at Coors than he did on the road.
All the others pitchers play at Coors as well, so you can’t really blame the field. It affects both teams who play there on any given day.
Part of the reason Rockies haven’t had pitchers under an ERA of 4.00 is because they haven’t had strong pitching at all in their franchise. Outside of Ubaldo Jimenez, who really wasn’t an ace in his career, who have they had as an ace? Not even anyone they drafted was really an ace.
It’s not a Coors issue, it’s a management issue. They need to start getting better players.
Drafting top level pitching is paramount for any team, but especially this team. Unless you dramatically overpay like with Hampton, no pitcher wants to throw there.
Please give your definition of “ace” for me. To me, an “ace” is what it was always intended to be. A team’s #1 starter. That is why the term ace was used, because it is the #1. There are 30 aces in baseball at any given time. Kyle Freeland is the current Rockies ace. If you have a different definition, please share.
I think there’s two. You’re right on the team ace, but I think there’s a higher tier of 30 some pitchers who are just better aces. From what I hear, most people refer to those “better aces” as the true aces.
If they were going to promote him this early, why not just have him start the year with the club? Given his prospect ranking, wouldn’t that have made them eligible for an extra draft pick if he had started the season and ends up winning an award like RoY?
Seems like a team like the Rockies should be the ones making that gamble.
He is still eligible for prospect promotion incentive. To be eligible you must still be a rookie, be on at least two of three top 100 prospect lists between MLB Pipeline, ESPN, and Baseball America, and be called up within two weeks of Opening Day. Dollander checks all three boxes. To achieve PPI, however, he must win ROTY, or finish top 3 in MVP or Cy young voting before hitting arbitration.
Ah forgot it was within two weeks. Thanks for that reminder!
MLB – and still be on their rookie contract.
So for example Campbell is still eligible, because he signed an extension after being called up.
But Chourio signed an extension last year before he debuted, so he is ineligible.
I find this part … Weird and unnecessary but whatever.
mlb1225: Yep,you are 100% correct. Either you know your baseball or you actually read the article, or possibly both. Reading is fundamental.
Prospectnvstr – Wow, you are so kind! Did you consider the possibility the original question came before the article was updated with that information?
I’m not sure why you need to take shots at people in a MLB comment section lol
Because they didn’t need a 5th starter until now. They thought Gomber might be ready to go and Dollander wouldn’t even be needed yet. And there was no point in having him sit in the pen and do nothing or worse have him pitch as a mop up long reliever for his debut.
I would be very surprised if he stayed up. He will likely be sent back down after Gomber could off the IL regardless of his results. If the Rockies end up trading a starter at the deadline or one gets hurt, he will get called back up. But barring injury, I don’t expect him to be a regular part of the rotation until after the All Star break.
He has the chance to be the first Ace ever developed by Colorado. Excited to see him put to rest the overstatement of the effects of altitude on pitching.
Coors has its hurdles (both manager’s name and actual challenges), but I’m unironically more concerned about the team surrounding him. Day in day out on a team that is seemingly never going to improve and a perennial 5th place finish with no real offensive threats to back him up and a bullpen that doesn’t inspire great confidence to hold any leads he generates doesn’t seem like a great place for a budding ace to grow.
I mean Paul Skenes is doing just fine with those same circumstances…….
The Pirates, despite the many years of mediocrity, are still better than the Rockies. Owner Dick Montfort cares but makes poor decisions. A rudderless team.
I mean yes but every thing @disadvantage said of the Rockies pertains to the Pirates
@choof
I see your point, and it’s a pretty good one, although the Pirates at least have a semblance of a decent roster, even if it’s in spite of the owner’s lack of competitive spending.
Colorado has had several “aces” in their history including several with more prospect hype than Dollander like Jon Gray, Jeff Francis, Ubaldo Jimenez,, and Jason Jennings. I hope Chase ends up better than all of them, but he has to do it first.
LMAO if Jeff Francis (any of those guys) is an Ace then I still have pro hopes
Hope springs eternal. Never give up.
You aren’t that far away. Keep at it.
LMAO if Jeff Francis (any of those guys) is an Ace then I still have pro hopes
=======================
During Francis’ time in the pros, he had the worst road ERA in BB, at his level of innings.
The only one I’ve heard is Ubaldo Jimenez, and even he has only been an ace for 1 to 2 seasons. Jeff Francis an ace? You have to be kidding me.
Rockies don’t have a Coors Field problem; they have a management problem. Start drafting pitchers and getting good players, then they’ll win games
Who would be his player comps? Ive seen his name on prospect lists but know very little about him.
ubaldo was that guy for a couple years there
A couple years, yes, but not an ace his whole career.
There is plenty of evidence to support why it’s not just “drafting good players”
One example is how playing at altitude breaks down players bodies so much quicker. Not to mention having to constantly adjust between high and low? Imagine being used to hitting or pitching a certain way 81 times a year….. Adjusting constantly would be tough
Ubaldo had a career 3.67 ERA at Coors. Orioles signed him for 4 years for the biggest commitment they have have made to this day for a SP (over a decade ago now) and he turned into a pumpkin. A career 5.5 ERA at OPACY. Given the Orioles’ inability to develop starting pitchers who have had any sustained success, what happened to Jake Arrieta as soon as he got away. As an Orioles fan worried under this supposed superior Elias regime even what we’ve seen recently with flashes but always injuries from guys like Bradish, Rodriguez…maybe Jimenez could have had a much different career arc had he not gone to Baltimore…maybe he wasn’t the issue (he is much maligned in Orioles history). Need a much bigger forum to go back 30 years to discuss Orioles and developing/maintaining high level starting pitching going back 30+ years.
Tennessee is putting out some serious talent into MLB. Crochet now with the Red Sox for a while and Joyce with the Angels and now Dollander and that’s not counting on multiple other players about to impact teams in the very near future. Christain Moore on the Angels should be brought up soon and he is a tremendous hitter.
Dude you named like barely 2 people at that rate Florida Gulf Coast is a dynasty #notVandie
I don’t even think he has to come in and be Paul Skenes, he just has to have decent numbers at Coors and he can be a very successful starter for them. Good luck to him in his debut!
Coors is going to be a tough park to pitch in. I won’t be surprised if he gets lit up. Best of luck to him.
That’s me with my sidecar pet clinic and DJ gigs. Always Chasen Dollar, always hustlin hustlin
They should have a question mark react
I guess they sent him down for one game, just so he would make his debut at home? Either that or they watched their lineup for a week and realized they needed to make this move to generate some fan interest.
phillies1993;
It depends…..
Did he have much experience pitching in the snow in Tennessee?
Darragh must be bored as there are some strange sentences.
If Dollander succeeds, he’ll validate a new pitching archetype for altitude: low release, high spin efficiency, fastball-dominant arms.
I’m sure they’ve tried that already. Besides, spin is decreased at altitude
@choof
You’re sure? LOL!
Spin rate does drop at altitude, but spin efficiency and vertical approach angle still dictate fastball success. A low release height + efficient backspin flattens VAA, which actually plays better in thinner air.
Some more mumbo jumbo per usual 🙁
@choof
Do you get paid to troll? Which country? China, Russia, India, USA or Canada?
Depends on the week… Maybe East Timor this week, maybe Belarus the next? Perhaps I’ll even post from Burkina Faso. The world is my oyster and pointing out your crap is the pearl inside
Google says – Yes, a lower release height combined with efficient backspin does tend to result in a flatter Vertical Approach Angle (VAA) for a fastball. This is because a lower release point naturally leads to a smaller vertical approach, while backspin helps the ball resist gravity and maintain a flatter trajectory as it travels towards home plate”
Fangraphs says – blogs.fangraphs.com/its-release-angles-all-the-way…
While you are probably getting all of your posts from AI search, its still accurate info. I don’t think people on here like accurate info.
We do like accurate info actually, we just just dislike AI slop
In what was was it slop? It was accurate. Sometimes AI utilizes old info, but in this case it was on the money using current or relatively current data
Homer?
Jeepers. In the picture used he looks like walking talking Tommy john surgery.
This is just sad. This kid has 4 innings over AA. Rockies are desperate. I wish him the best but Coors Field is tough on the best pitchers. I hope he’s ready to serve taters to the bleachers.
Tom Walker
Somehow I imagine, he’ll have more MLB appearances than all the arm chair managers here.
Grant Ballfour
He pitched an excellent game in San Diego. He is going to be one of the better pitching prospects to come out of the Rockies organization.