Rockies call up Chase Dollander: One of best pitching prospects in Colorado history set for MLB debut

The Colorado Rockies are calling up one of the best pitching prospects in baseball — and one of the best in their history. Right-hander Chase Dollander will be summoned to make his MLB debut this Sunday against the (Sacramento) Athletics at Coors Field, the team announced Friday. Manager Bud Black said Dollander is in the rotation to stay. It’s not a spot start.

Here is the team giving Dollander the news of his big-league promotion:

“He’ll be here tonight at some point into Denver. He’ll be here at the ballpark tomorrow,” Black said Friday. “… He does a lot of things right for a young player. Long-term he is going to be a really good pitcher. I am looking forward to Sunday.”

Dollander, 23, was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Tennessee. He dominated the minors last year, pitching to a 2.59 ERA with 169 strikeouts in 118 innings between High Class-A and Double-A. Dollander allowed one run in four innings in his Triple-A debut this past Sunday. His spring training did not go well (16 runs in 17 2/3 innings), though that didn’t deter the Rockies.

Our R.J. Anderson ranked Dollander the 16th-best prospect in baseball entering spring training, and the fourth-best pitching prospect. Here’s his write-up:

Dollander entered the 2023 draft cycle viewed as the best pitcher in the class thanks to an arsenal led by a stellar fastball-slider combination. He was eventually surpassed (and then some) by Paul Skenes while he battled consistency woes. Since turning pro, however, he’s done well to remind folks why he was highly touted in the first place. Dollander split last season between High- and Double-A, striking out more than a third of the batters he faced (albeit with an inflated walk rate) and positioning himself to make his big-league debut sometime in 2025. It’s never easy pitching home games at Coors Field, but Dollander has at least mid-rotation upside if he can stay on track.

Baseball America currently ranks Dollander as the No. 7 prospect in baseball. He’s the first Rockies pitcher to appear on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list since Jon Gray from 2014-16, and only the second to rank among Baseball America’s top 10 prospects. Lefty Franklin Morales was Baseball America’s No. 8 prospect in 2008.

Off days allowed the Rockies to skip their No. 5 starter the first turn through the rotation. Colorado’s rotation currently has a 1.35 ERA, the lowest in baseball, though their 1.23 WHIP is middle of the pack. They’ve done exceptional work stranding baserunners in the early going this year. That works in short bursts but rarely over the course of 162 games.

Despite that stellar rotation work, the Rockies are 1-5 on the young season, and have been outscored 24-11. They will play their home opener Friday at Coors Field against the A’s.