Chase

Dollander

On the plus side, Dollander did pile up six strikeouts in the ballgame while issuing only one free pass. The 23-year-old hurler served up a pair of home runs in this one — a solo shot to Jackson Chourio in the opening inning and a two-run blast to Vinny Capra in the fourth. The Rockies’ top pitching prospect concludes Cactus League play with a troublesome 7.13 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 24 punchouts over 17 2/3 innings. He’ll work through his issues at the Triple-A level before getting a shot with the Rockies at some point later in the season.

Dollander’s quest to solve the formidable Coors Field challenge will have to wait a bit longer. The 23-year-old top prospect flashed top-of-the-rotation stuff in Cactus League outings, but the Rockies aren’t ready to put him in their season-opening rotation. He’ll open the year back at Triple-A Albuquerque for some additional seasoning and should be ready to make his highly-anticipated MLB debut by midseason, if not sooner.

Gomber is dealing with soreness in his left shoulder, and hasn’t been able to pitch since the start of March. Chase Dollander would be the most exciting potential replacement from a fantasy perspective, but Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports Dollander is likely to begin the season in Triple-A. Gomber is expected back relatively soon, but he’s not someone you ideally want on a fantasy roster no matter when he returns.

Dollander had 14 whiffs and a 34 percent CSW in the 73-pitch outing. One of the game’s top pitching prospects, he should debut for the Rockies this summer. On any other team, he’d probably be a mixed-league option as soon as 2026.

Dollander punched out three opposing batters on the afternoon while allowing a pair of walks. He allowed a pair of baserunners in the opening inning but erased one of them himself as he picked Brayan Rocchio off of first base. The 23-year-old righty got five swings and misses on 59 offerings on the day, registering a CSW of 24 percent. He now sports a 7.59 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 11 strikeouts over 10 2/3 innings through his first four Cactus League starts.

Dollander battled some uncharacteristic control woes in this one, handing out a whopping four free passes, before being lifted with two outs in the second frame. He finished with only one strikeout, uncorked a wild pitch and threw just 26 of 50 pitches for strikes. The 23-year-old right-hander is widely considered one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, but this latest outing decreases his odds of breaking camp in Colorado’s starting rotation. It’s only a matter of time before he ascends to the big leagues, but it might not be on Opening Day.

Blalock is vying for one of the final spots in Colorado’s season-opening rotation along with top prospect Chase Dollander. The 24-year-old hurler’s inability to miss bats at a league-average rate combined with Coors Field’s unforgiving environment make him an unappealing option for fantasy purposes outside of NL-only formats.

Dollander gave up two homers in the outing, one of them a three-run homer to Eugenio Suarez in the first inning. The 23-year-old did strike out four while showing the stuff — if not the command — that makes him one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Dollander has a great chance to make starts for the Rockies in 2025, but there’s the obvious risks that come with his home surroundings on top of playing for one of the worst teams in the sport.

Unfortunately, Dollander’s spring debut came in a Statcast-less ballpark. The 23-year-old top pitching prospect came out attacking the strike zone early on and managed to shake off a two-out homer by Jung Hoo Lee in the opening frame by retiring four of the final five batters he faced. The ninth-overall pick from the 2023 MLB Draft has a legitimate shot at breaking camp in Colorado’s season-opening rotation and a performance like this against a lineup featuring mostly big-league regulars from a divisional rival only helps strengthen his argument. It’s unclear whether he’s ready to tackle Coors Field right away, but he’s the most talented pitcher to give it a shot in quite some time. He’s a worthy late-round sleeper candidate in fantasy drafts this spring, especially in deeper mixed leagues.

“I think he’s close,” Schmidt added. Whether Dollander can conquer the Coors Field challenge remains to be seen, but he’s the most intriguing pitching prospect the Rockies have had in at least a decade or so. The 23-year-old right-hander was outstanding last year, posting a sparkling 2.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 169/47 K/BB ratio across 118 innings (23 starts) between High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford. It sounds like he’ll have a legitimate opportunity to make Colorado’s season-opening starting rotation and could make a real impact for fantasy managers early on next year. He’ll be worth monitoring closely in spring training, especially in deeper mixed leagues.