Rockies selected Tennessee RHP Chase Dollander with the ninth pick of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Dollander was universally-regarded as a potential top-five pick heading into the spring, but inconsistent performance in his final collegiate season pushed him further back into the middle of the first round. The 21-year-old right-hander’s arsenal consists of a mid-90’s fastball, which he pairs nicely with a mid-80’s sweeper, which has become all the rage this season in the big leagues. There’s almost zero concern that he won’t pan out as a mid-rotation starter, but his stuff took a bit of a step back this spring, which caused his draft stock to slip quite a bit. There’s a chance the Rockies believe they can unlock something with his fastball, which would make him an elite pitching prospect again. He’s the classic high-floor, low-risk collegiate pitching prospect, and could be making an impact for fantasy managers as early as the 2024 campaign — though his landing spot at Coors Field obviously isn’t ideal for fantasy purposes.