It was not a dream rookie season for Colorado Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander. Dollander got an immediate introduction to the horrors of pitching at Coors Field. The rookie went 2-12 with a 6.52 ERA in 98 innings pitched over 21 games. It is not as if Dollander did not have his good moments as well. But for a highly-touted prospect like Dollander, he needs to see progress early on next season after this season did not go as planned.
Chase Dollander Struggles in First Year in Colorado
The 24-year-old entered the majors with a four-seam fastball that averaged 96 mph and touched 99. It was the pitch he mainly relied on and consistently got swings and misses with. Dollander utilized his four-seamer 49% of the time with Colorado. The velocity was still excellent; Dollander ranked in the 94th percentile league-wide, averaging 97.8 mph with his fastball. But that did not translate to effectiveness in the majors. Per Statcast, his -19 fastball run value was in the bottom one percent of Major League Baseball. MLB Pipeline noted that Dollander’s command of his premium pitches in his junior season at the University of Tennessee regressed following his stellar sophomore season.
But the Rockies did not see it as a major concern, still drafting him ninth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. His command was not good this season. However, that likely says more about the steep learning curve young pitchers face when pitching at altitude, rather than Dollander’s command issues carrying over from college. That proves even more true when looking at Dollander’s home/road splits. It was one of the more extreme splits in the majors, a frustrating reminder of the difficult reality the Rockies face in finding consistent quality pitching.
In 11 home starts, Dollander went 2-6 with a 9.98 ERA in 46 innings pitched, compared to 10 road starts in which Dollander went 0-6 but posted a respectable 3.46 ERA in 52 innings pitched. While his walk numbers differed little when at home or on the road, his difficulty in getting strikeouts at home exacerbated the walk issue. Walks will always come back to haunt pitchers at Coors Field, especially when that pitcher struggles to miss bats. It is an issue that has been facing the entire Rockies’ pitching staff for the last few seasons.
Chase Dollander’s rookie year is over. His stats: 2-12, 6.52 ERA, 82 K, 1.55 WHIP over 98 IP. pic.twitter.com/Q2HOGgMp9r
— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) September 12, 2025
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Improvement at Home is the Starting Point
The silver lining for Dollander is that there’s a low bar for him to improve at home next season. Per Statmuse, among starting pitchers who pitched in at least 10 starts at home, Dollander’s 9.98 home ERA was a full three runs worse than the next-worst pitcher. One factor contributing to that 9.98 ERA was 12 home runs allowed at home compared to just six on the road. The Rockies’ rotation as a whole was last in the majors by a healthy margin. But Dollander was significantly behind his veteran teammates when it came to pitching at Coors.
Chase Dollander – 11 home starts, 9.98 ERA, 6.85 K/9, 4.89 BB/9, 2.35 HR/9, 1.98 WHIP
Germán Márquez – 11 home starts, 5.98 ERA, 4.76 K/9, 3.38 BB/9, 1.69 HR/9, 1.62 WHIP
Kyle Freeland – 15 home starts, 5.75 ERA, 7.38 K/9, 2.50 BB/9, 0.88 HR/9, 1.61 WHIP
Antonio Senzatela – 12 home starts, 6.26 ERA, 5.15 K/9, 2.70 BB/9, 1.35 HR/9, 1.65 WHIP
None of the numbers above is pretty to look at. But outside of Dollander’s 6.85 K/9, he was a distant last in the Rockies’ rotation. Again, Dollander’s command comes to the forefront. His 4.89 BB/9 and 2.35 HR/9 are the most glaring issues, combining to make the perfect recipe for struggling at Coors. The Rockies sent Dollander down to Triple-A for around a month on July 8 to work on his command and get deeper into games. But after Dollander came back on August 11, there was little change in his final six starts to end the season.
The Stuff Is There, It’s Just Being More Consistent
In those six starts, Dollander made it six innings just once and recorded at least two walks in all six. He issued a high of four walks in a 4-0 road loss to the Houston Astros on August 27. But ironically, that start was also arguably Dollander’s best this season. He went six innings, allowing three hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts. That tied two other road starts against the Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres for his most Ks in a single game, showing the potential Dollander has going forward when he can miss bats consistently. The stuff is there; there’s a reason he was drafted where he was.
But those same aspects of his game he was working on when sent down to Triple-A will again be high priority this offseason. Dollander will be a big part of the rotation next season for this rebuilding Rockies club. He would be the first person to say he has to be better at home. It’s going to take a lot of work to improve on that. But if he can limit the walks, the stuff will shine.
If he can be even close to the pitcher he has been on the road, his numbers will look markedly better. Freeland will be a great resource for Dollander as one of the best pitchers at Coors Field in franchise history. The same goes for RHP Ryan Feltner, who overcame his fair share of struggles at Coors and became one of the most consistent options in the Rockies’ rotation before injuries derailed his season this year. The talent and resources are there for Dollander. His future is still bright in Colorado. Starting strong next season and putting his rookie year behind him would be a great step in the right direction.
Main Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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