This week on the MLB Pipeline Podcast and in Jonathan Mayo’s inbox, the question came up: Is right-hander Chase Dollander the best pitching prospect in Rockies history? With the way he's pitching, there might not be much time left for the debate to rage on.
But no matter where you land in that debate, Dollander is certainly already in the conversation. And he definitely didn’t hurt his case Friday night.
The Rockies’ No. 2 prospect and No. 22 overall prospect enjoyed his latest in a string of dominant starts at Double-A Hartford, racking up 10 strikeouts across 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the Yard Goats’ 3-0 win over Binghamton at Dunkin' Park. Dollander allowed only three hits, struck out seven straight at one point, and generally dominated against a lineup featuring two Top 100 overall prospects in Jett Williams (No. 56) and Ryan Clifford (No. 80).
Dollander was coming off another 10-strikeout performance last time out against New Hampshire. On Friday, he became the first Yard Goats pitcher to record double-digit strikeouts in consecutive games.
“Going into the game, I kind of felt tired a little bit,” Dollander said after the game to Yard Goats broadcaster Dan Lovallo. “So it was just a matter of getting in the groove and finding my body. Once I did, it was a lot of fun.”
The 22-year-old righty sure hasn’t seemed tired very much in his first full season, after the Rockies selected him No. 9 overall in the 2023 Draft out of the University of Tennessee. He posted strong numbers in 14 starts at High-A Spokane, graduating to his Double-A debut on July 24. Dollander has been excellent in his first seven starts for the Yard Goats, pitching to a 1.43 ERA with 48 strikeouts across 37 2/3 innings.
All told, Dollander is 6-1 with a 2.34 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 159-42 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 107 2/3 innings this year across 21 total starts. He’s posted double-digit strikeout totals in six of those starts.
“I’ve got to give some credit to these fans,” he said. “They come out and show out for us, so it’s been a lot of fun. The guys behind me have been doing a great job with the defense. … I’ve been preparing for this. It’s just been about going out and executing my plan.”
Immediate success like this was exactly what the Rockies had planned when they snatched up Dollander with their top pick in the 2023 Draft, especially given how difficult its always been for the organization to develop pitching, and the immediate need for it at the big league level. Colorado has no reason to rush Dollander in his first full season, but if he finishes strong at Double-A, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for him to arrive in Denver in the first half of 2025 at some point.
At which point, he might find himself being compared to Rockies bests in a different category: homegrown pitcher.