Chase Dollander Discusses His Arsenal

Chase Dollander made his much-anticipated debut with the Rockies on Sunday afternoon, allowing seven hits and four runs over five innings and earning his first big league win. Ranked no. 12 on our Top 100 Prospects list this spring, the 23-year-old right-hander fanned six, walked one, and surrendered a pair of home runs as Colorado outscored the Athletics 12-5 at Coors Field.

His power arsenal was on display throughout. Topping out at 99.3 mph with his high-octane heater, the 2023 first-round pick out of the University of Tennessee threw 34 four-seamers, 21 sliders (which Baseball Savant classifies as a cutter), 15 curveballs, and nine changeups. Undaunted by a premiere in the majors’ most hitter-friendly venue, he aggressively attacked the zone, throwing 49 of his 79 pitches (62.%) for strikes.

Dollander discussed his repertoire prior to the start of the regular season.

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David Laurila: Scouting reports say you have a plus fastball, good secondaries, and that you usually command the ball well. Does that sound accurate?

Chase Dollander: “I would say so. I feel like my stuff is in a good spot right now. I do think that getting the slider a little harder and a little shorter would be good for me. But other than that, yeah, I feel like my stuff is in a good spot.”

Laurila: Do you identify as a power pitcher?

Dollander: “I guess so. Like, what’s your definition of a power pitcher? That could change based on the person. But I do strike out a good bit of people, and that’s considered a power pitcher. So yeah, in my opinion, I probably am.”

Laurila: How do you typically get your strikeouts? Do you have a specific strikeout pitch?

Dollander: “It’s a mixture, and it really depends on the situation. Like you said, my stuff is pretty good, so I feel like I can use whatever I need to strike people out. But if I were to pick one, it would be my fastball at the top of the zone. I think that’s the one pitch that really plays. It’s my bread and butter. If I need it, I have it.”

Laurila: What are the metrics on your four-seamer?

Dollander: “I don’t have a crazy amount of vert on it. My arm angle and my VAA [vertical approach angle] kind of make it play better at the top of the zone. I have a lower arm slot. But it sits anywhere from… I would say that ideally it would be 15 to 17 vert and a little less horizontal. It kind of shoots off arm side; it has two-plane movement. Sometimes if I kind of get it down in the zone it will run on me a little bit more. But usually, if I sit in the middle or top of the zone, it will ride into a righty like I want.

“I didn’t know anything about [the VAA] until my junior year of college. I just knew I was able to throw fastballs by people. It was like, ‘I don’t really know what’s going on, but it’s working, so I’m going to keep doing this.’”

Laurila: You said that you’d like to throw your slider a little harder and shorter. Why is that?

Dollander: “I feel like it would play better off the fastball than a bigger one. I already have a big curveball that’s about 20 mph different from my fastball. I feel like it would play better off the changeup as well. I’ve talked to D Scott [pitching coach Darryl Scott] about it a little bit, and we’re on the same page. I can manipulate the ball, so if there is a certain situation that dictates a bigger slider, I can do that.”

Laurila: You can manipulate shapes pretty well…

Dollander: “Yeah, I think I have good feel for that. I am still trying to develop more, though. As a pitcher, you’re aways trying to develop feel for your pitches, no matter how long you’re in the game. It’s always about tinkering and figuring out what works.”

Laurila: Ideally, you’d like more of a gyro slider…

Dollander: “I don’t know. The slider I have right now is working, so I don’t want to mess with it too much. Honestly… maybe more of a gyro. It’s been in a great spot, and I’m happy with it, but I do think if it’s a little harder it may play better. I’d probably get more swings and misses.”

Laurila: To throw it harder, you’d presumably be changing the grip…

Dollander: “Just a tiny bit. So, usually the first couple innings my slider is very cutter-y, so I put a little spike to it to help me get out in front, and kind of get on top of the ball a little bit. Obviously, if you put a little spike, it’s going to kill a little velo. So, it’s just about finding the feel for it early and not having to spike it.”

Laurila: You said that your curveball is 20 mph slower than your fastball. Is that too much?

Dollander: “I don’t think so. I think it plays pretty well off my fastball up in the zone. I get a good bit of swing-and-miss on it. It’s hard for people to to be ready for a fastball, and here comes 78-79. The depth plays well off of my fastball, too. Sometimes my curve has a little more sweep to it, but the ideal ones have a lot of vertical.”

Laurila: Where does that changeup fit in your arsenal?

Dollander: “It plays well off my slider. The best ones are anywhere from zero to two, with around 20 horizontal. It’s been really good. When it creeps up into the higher verts is when it kind of gets in trouble, because it carries a little bit more. Being able to kill vert, and maybe kill a little bit of horizontal as well, makes it play.

“The grip is kind of a modified circle. My middle finger is in between the two-seam, completely off the seams. I figured out — I had some help with this over the offseason — that whenever my fingers were on the seams, it would kind of catch the seam and backspin a little bit more than I wanted it to. If I’m off the seam, I’m able to just throw it. It has a circle on top, and drops.”

Laurila: Who helped you with it?

Dollander: “Shane McClanahan, the lefty with the Rays. He arguably has one of the best changeups in the game. It’s different than mine, though. It’s similar in some ways, but his is more like a modified split.

“We were playing catch — I work out with him during the offseason — and he was just like, ‘Dude, get off the seam.’ I tried it, and it just took off, straight down. It was like, ‘OK, that’ll work.”

Laurila: How would you rank your pitches?

Dollander: “Right now, it would be fastball, curveball, slider, changeup. My curveball has been playing really well for me. I’m excited to see what comes along with the slider and the changeup.”

Laurila: What about the challenge of pitching in Colorado? Is there anything about your toolbox that might give you an advantage at Coors?

Dollander: “I’m not sure. Obviously, we’ll have to see once I get there, but I think that having a low vertical approach angle with my fastball is going to play really well. I don’t have to rely on a bunch of vertical — induced vertical — to get swings and misses on my fastball. Having that in my back pocket is hopefully going to help me a lot, pitching at the top of the zone. Pitching in altitude, the ball obviously flies a little bit more, but that’s not something I’m worried about. Like I always say, if I execute my pitches, I’ll be just fine.”