Spinning To Win, Chad Dallas Is Looking Toward Toronto

Chad Dallas emerged as one of the top under-the-radar pitching prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays organization this season. Tossing a system leading 123-and-third innings between High-A Vancouver and Double-A New Hampshire — 18 of his 23 starts came at the higher of the two levels — the 23-year-old right-hander went 9-3 with a 3.65 ERA and a 4.08 FIP. Featuring a spin-to-win five-pitch mix, he fanned 144 batters (also the most in the system) and allowed just 98 hits.

Dallas, Toronto’s fourth round pick in 2021 out of the University of Tennessee, discussed his breaker-heavy arsenal and approach when the New Hampshire Fisher Cats visited Portland, Maine earlier this summer.

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David Laurila: What is your repertoire and M.O. on the mound?

Chad Dallas: “I throw a four-seam, a slider, a curveball, an occasional changeup, and I recently added a cutter. I spin the ball a lot. I don’t attack a whole bunch of people with the fastball. I like to attack with my offspeed, sort of a pitch backwards kind of deal. Some teams know that, so there are also games where they start sitting soft and I mostly attack them with the heater and the cutter. Either way, I’m out there trying to throw as many strikes as possible.”

Laurila: I saw an article where you were quoted as saying you “spin to win.”

Dallas: “Yeah. I mean, I’m not the hardest thrower. I’m 90-plus, but you’ve got guys out there nowadays, starters even, who can run it up to triple digits. That’s insane. I’ve just always been comfortable with spinning and going offspeed.

“I know that hitters can hit soft — especially the higher up you go — but in high school and college they were always trying to rip the first fastball they saw. I didn’t want to give them that pitch to hit; I wanted to give them something that moves. That’s kind of how I’ve always been, and it’s kind of how I still am.”

Laurila: Do you know what your spin rates are?

Dallas: “I don’t. I think I’ve been close to 3,000 [rpm] at times with my slider, but I’m not sure I’ve ever actually entered the 3,000s. It is pretty decent spin, though.”

Laurila: What are the movement profiles on your breaking pitches?

Dallas: “The curveball isn’t what I’d consider 12-6 — it gets some glove-side and some decent depth — and the slider is more of what people are calling the sweeper. I’m trying to keep that same line, that same plane — I’m trying to get that big horizontal look — and I have got it up to 20 [inches]. But on average, it’s anywhere between 12 and 17. It depends on the day.”

Laurila: Is there anything notable about your grips?

Dallas: “Not especially, although I did start spiking my curveball this year. I think that has helped me stay consistent with the shape. And then the slider I learned from my pitching coaching in college, Frank Anderson. His son, Brett Anderson, pitched in the big leagues. I basically used his cutter grip to learn a slider. It was supposed to be a cutter — this was in my last year [at Tennessee] — but I was getting around it a little more and it ended up being a slider. Supinating comes easier for me than pronating, which is why I spin the ball well but tend to struggle with the changeup.”

Laurila: What about the spin and the movement profile and your fastball?

Dallas: “It has decent vert and not a whole bunch of run. The vert ranges from 16 to a little higher, and sometimes it even gets what we call ‘the upper cut.’ That’s when you get good vert and it kind of stays with the horizontal… it’s almost perceived, or even actual, cut. That’s usually when I go up and glove side.

“I think the spin is somewhere around average. I’m not too sure, though. I’ll look at the metrics in bullpens, but only a little bit. If I spend too much time on the numbers I’ll start to put it in my head and end up thinking too much. But I think it’s decently spun. I don’t think it’s too low or too high.”

Laurila: Where are your pitches velocity-wise?

Dallas: “The fastball is anywhere from 92 to 95, although I don’t get a whole bunch of them up to 95. The slider could be anywhere from 82 to… I mean, on days where everything feels good coming out, it’s gotten up to 86. Those are my favorite days, when it’s a little harder. The curveball usually sits around 78-82. Then the changeup is about 88, but sometimes it’s up to 90 when it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. The cutter has been 88 to 90.”

Laurila: How would you rank your pitches?

Dallas: “I’d keep the slider at number one. I’d probably go slider, cutter, fastball, curveball, then changeup. Actually, maybe I’d put the fastball a little closer to the one spot. It’s been been a lot better this year than in previous years. That said, I’m still pretty much spin to win.”