Should Rockies Fans Be Worried About Future of Chase Dollander?

Is it time for Colorado Rockies fans to worry about Chase Dollander?

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It has not been a season to write home about for Colorado Rockies rookie Chase Dollander.

When he was selected ninth overall in the 2023 draft, there was hope and belief that the right-hander would become the ace of this pitching staff going forward, finally giving this franchise the star pitcher they've been missing for some time.

After not appearing in a professional game until 2024, he looked every bit like the future ace he was billed to be, posting a 2.83 ERA across 14 starts at High-A before finishing the year with a 2.25 ERA across nine starts at Double-A.

In total, he struck out a staggering 169 batters in 118 innings pitched, walking 47 in comparison while also adding another 14 who were hit by pitches. Still, the .215 batting average against and the 1.19 WHIP he had was a great sign that he was developing into a front-of-the-rotation guy.

It didn't take long for the Rockies to want to see what he could do at the big league level, calling him up for his MLB debut on April 6 of this year. But since that point, there have been a lot more downs than ups in Dollander's young career.

Should Rockies Fans Be Worried About Dollander?

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The 23-year-old has been rocked virtually all season long, now sitting with a 6.91 ERA across 18 starts following Thursday's outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers where he was tagged for seven earned runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings of work.

Perhaps even more concerningly, he has recorded just 68 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched, while walking 40 batters and hitting another three with pitches. He also has a WHIP of 1.63 and a batting average against of .285.

Growing pains are to be expected, especially for someone who is in just his second season of professional baseball. But it's hard to not be discouraged by what's been on display because his underlying metrics aren't much better.

Dollander's whfff rate was in the 30th percentile before Thursday's start, while his strikeout rate was in the 18th. That is not a good indication of future success, especially because he is giving up tons of hard contact (56th percentile) and barrels (fourth percentile).

It's still much too early to give up on Dollander.

He has largely been a victim of Coors Field because his ERA is 7.19 across 10 starts at home while it's down to 3.95 across eight starts on the road. However, for him to become the ace of this staff like the Rockies need him to be, then he has to make adjustments going forward at his young age.

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