Rockies Need to Make This Chase Dollander Decision Now

The Colorado Rockies are searching for answers everywhere, including the mound, and there is an answer waiting in the wings.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Chase Dollander | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies don’t have the pleasure of waiting any longer. The season has already taken on a familiar view and one that doesn’t bear repeating.

With 19 games played, the Rockies are holding down a 7-12 record ranking, once again, at the bottom of the NL West.

Through the early part of the season, the rotation has yet again become a major concern. Inconsistency, a lack of swing-and-miss stuff, and a literal inability to limit damage have all shown up again in what has become season-after-season similarities. This is trending toward another difficult year.

At some point, the focus needs to shift from just surviving to actually fixing something - even if it’s just one thing at a time.

That’s where Chase Dollander enters the conversation.

Rotation Struggles Are Forcing the Issue

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen | David Frerker-Imagn Images

The Rockies have been here before, unfortunate but true. Just ask the fans. The team is trying to piece together a rotation while hoping an internal option somehow catches and makes things better.

The truth is - that hasn’t happened.

Whether the story revolves around short outings, elevated ERAs, or simply not being able to put hitters away, the staff just struggles. There is no stability. More pressure on the bullpen, the offense, the front office, literally everyone.

Outside of a few bright spots, the production for the rotation just hasn’t been good. Kyle Freeland has been steady with a 2.30 ERA across three starts, and Tomoyuki Sugano has posted a remarkable 2.16 ERA, but the rest of the rotation tells a different story.

Michael Lorenzen owns an 8.10 ERA and has allowed 32 hits in just 16.2 innings. Ryan Feltner has a 7.30 ERA, and Valente Bellozo has a 7.59 ERA. They are just struggling to keep runs off the board. Remember last year’s run differential stat?

Yes, the team is undergoing a complete rebuild with a new philosophy, but there is an answer right in front of them. Dollander could give the team at least a chance to compete on a nightly basis.

He represents something the team needs right now - upside.

As a former first-round pick with high potential, Dollander brings swing-and-miss ability and an arsenal that could change the look of the rotation. He will have growing pains, no doubt, but his current performance is proving that his ceiling is high and that is exactly what Colorado needs every five days on the mound.

Dollander Offers More Than Just Potential

MLB Colorado Rockies starter Chase Dollander | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Putting Dollander as a stable part of the starting rotation would not just be about injecting talent; it would signal a move toward a new approach. His early performance is making it impossible to ignore.

In just five appearances, he is already 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA across 19 innings. The most telling number for the 24-year-old right-hander is his 23 strikeouts. That is elite production.

In comparison, Lorenzen has 13 strikeouts over 16.2 innings, while Feltner has only nine in 12.1 innings.

Dollander doesn’t just shine there, either. He Iimits traffic, posting a 1.11 WHIP while holding opponents to a .214 batting average.

The Rockies need to stop relying on struggling veterans and start committing to building impact arms. Dollander is that guy. He can miss bats, work deep into games and develop into a long-term anchor to work alongside Freeland and Sugano.

That would matter to a team that has lacked rotation depth and identity for years now.

The longer the Rockies wait, the bigger hole the team is going to dig and the less value they will be able to extract from Dollander this year. Falling too far behind for Colorado is a trend and one that, to fans, seems inevitable.

Dollander could raise the floor right now and he could provide hope at a time when it may be needed most.

Dollander is ready. Now, are the Rockies willing to make the move?