Wednesday Rockpile: Chase Dollander’s confidence on the mound reflected in his fastball
For years, the Colorado Rockies have searched for a true ace pitcher: someone with the raw power to blow hitters away while embodying the movement profile, grit, and confidence to succeed at Coors Field. At times, there have been glimpses of that type of pitcher in the past, but in 2026, Chase Dollander may have begun to fit the mold.
After a shaky debut in 2025 that saw the 2023 ninth overall pick post a 6.52 ERA in 21 starts, Dollander has emerged at the start of the season as a legitimate force. Through seven appearances, including one start, he owns a 2.25 ERA in team-leading 32 innings of work. In April alone, he sports a pristine 1.29 ERA. His 39 strikeouts lead the team by a good margin, and he has drawn comparisons to the prime days of Rockies great Ubaldo Jimenez as well as Jacob deGrom .
The headline to his success? A four-seam fastball that has become one of the most dominant pitches in baseball.
The power potential resting in Dollander’s arm is what enticed the Rockies to draft Dollander out of the University of Tennessee. The heat was there for him in his first big league season, averaging 98 mph, but the success was lacking for the pitch.
Utilizing the pitch 48.8% of the time, opposing batters batted .286 against his fastball in 2025, while slugging .548 in 168 at-bats. The command was obviously missing, as 33.8% of the four-seam fastballs Dollander threw were out of the zone. That lack of command led to mistakes in the zone as he failed to miss bats, generating just a 19.9% whiff rate and plenty of contact.
When the ability to use the fastball and pitch off of it is absent, it makes it more difficult for a pitcher to utilize and set up the use of other pitches. So, Dollander’s arsenal was compromised as he struggled to command his secondary pitches and was never quite in the right place to succeed from start to start.
So what has changed this season?
“I don’t want to say I was afraid, because that is the wrong word,” Dollander told MLB.com , “I didn’t want to throw my stuff in the zone, but this year, I said, ‘Hey, go right after them.’ You throw 100 [miles per hour]. You have to throw your stuff in the zone. I changed my mechanics, and it helps me get in the zone a lot better.”
The evolution in Dollander’s fastball and overall attack plan has been nothing short of astounding. The Rockies’ ability to develop pitching truly felt like it hinged on whether Dollander could achieve his potential. Under the new regime calling the shots at 20th and Blake, it looks like that development is taking place.
Early returns are promising for Dollander. With a fastball averaging 99 mph, the fifth fastest in baseball, he has limited opposing batters to a measly .120 AVG and .200 SLG. He is missing bats at an excellent clip with a 30% whiff rate and a 34.5% strikeout rate.
The results are in direct relation to how the Rockies are operating in the pitching department. For Colorado, it’s become less about the quantity of fastballs but rather the quality. The pitching staff leaned heavily on a 40.9% fastball usage in 2025. There was an increasing lack of confidence in breaking pitches and offspeed due to a belief that attacking with fastballs and cutters, particularly at the knees, would try to generate groundballs. Unfortunately, fastball command often lacks for a number of pitchers, including Dollander, and the predictability of arsenals led to a lot of runs. In 2026, the Rockies are sitting at a 29.1% four-seam usage, the ninth lowest in baseball.
Dollander has followed the trend. Thus far, he has a 37.8% four-seam usage, 10 points lower than last season. Commanding the zone with his fastball with confidence has allowed him to deepen his arsenal with his slider, curveball, and changeup. The Rockies have enabled him to now work off of his fastball, still knowing full well that he can blow it right past a hitter for a strikeout as needed. He currently has 20 strikeouts with the fastball this season.
The idea to attack the knees has gone out the window with his four-seam. The chart below shows the whiff rate by where four-seam fastballs are being thrown.
Dollander is attacking hitters with 99-100 mph in the upper third of the strike zone. Left or right, it doesn’t matter what side the batter is on: The plan has remained the same. The strikeout numbers are excellent in that top part of the zone, and batters have just a .143 AVG in that upper third.
The evolution of his four-seam fastball is evidenced by a Fastball Run Value of 7, placing him in the 99th percentile in baseball, compared to -17 in 2025. Dollander’s heater has to be competitive, and the foundation upon which all his other pitches work. Already, evidence shows increased quality with his slider and curveball, as well as the power sinker he is deploying more and more, particularly to right-handed batters.
Alon Leichman, Gabe Ribas, and Matt Daniels have done a fantastic job helping Dollander find his groove with his fastball, but the greatest thing they have done is help the 24-year-old find his confidence. Dollander has mentioned he feels like he could “dominate any lineup,” and at this point, he hasn’t given us any reason to doubt that he can’t, and that’s a great thing for the Rockies.
With a blazing fastball in his hand, Dollander has taken the first steps to becoming the true ace that both he and the Rockies believe he can be.
On the Farm
Triple-A: El Paso Chihuahuas 16, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
It was a rough night for Albuquerque pitching in the series opener. Carson Palmquist allowed two runs on three hits over his three innings of work to start, but things quickly unraveled after that. Patrick Weigel was tagged for six runs on two hits in his lone inning of work, followed by Colin Baumgartner allowing three in his 1.2 innings. Blas Castaño was the only one to have a scoreless outing as Ryan Miller closed out the game, allowing five runs in the top of the ninth. Offensively, the Isotopes had six hits, with Sterlin Thompson leading the way with two hits and two RBI.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 3, Reading Fightin’ Phils 1
Pitching was the name of the game in Hartford’s victory. Connor Staine made the start, delivering five shutout innings and allowing just one hit with four strikeouts and three walks. Evan Shawver tossed the next 2.1 innings, allowing an unearned run on one hit before Victor Juarez closed out the game for his fourth save of the year. Offensively, the Yard Goats scored two runs in the sixth courtesy of a two-run home run from Andy Perez, as part of a two-hit game. Hartford then added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. They managed just four hits, while striking out 10 times.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 10, Stockton Ports 0
The combined effort of five pitchers for Fresno allowed just three hits as they shut out Stockton. Angel Jimenez started the game and tossed three scoreless before handing the baton off to the rest of the relievers. The pitching staff struck out 12 and issued just one free pass on the night. Offensively, Fresno put up seven in the second inning and tacked on three in the eighth, scoring 10 runs on 11 hits. Jeremy Ciriaco had a three-hit night and had a three-run home run in the eighth. Tanner Thach also continues to rake at the plate, driving in a pair while Ethan Holliday went 1-for-1 with five walks.
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As April comes to a close, the performance of the Rockies’ pitching staff is starting to garner more and more attention. The team is evolving and competing and it’s a true sight to behold.
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This week, Evan Lang and I talk about the struggles of Ezequiel Tovar before diving into the successes of Chase Dollander.
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