Blake Street Banter Team | February 14, 2025

It’s February. Pitchers and catchers have reported and another season will be upon us shortly. For the Colorado Rockies, developing the quality of their farm system will be one of the main focuses in 2025.

Here at BSB, we are kicking off a deeper analysis of the minor leagues as we approach Opening Day. This is the first article as part of BSB Prospect Week, where the BSB staff goes under the hood to rank the best tools in each skill category. Below, the top command pitchers are highlighted. Other pitching tools will be covered this weekend while position player tools will be put under the microscope next week.

Be on the lookout for new installments of this series every day for the next week!

The 2023 MLB Draft provided an abundance of arms with pitchability and the current system is propped up by that draft class with seven precise hurlers included below.

Honorable Mentions

Jordy Vargas owns a career BB/9 of 3.42 and has repeatable mechanics which helps his command project to be great. Cade Denton and Jace Kaminska both showed promise for plus command in 2024. Dominican Summer League RHP Keywill Cedeno had a BB% of 2.7%, the lowest in the organization. Second in BB% is another DSL right-hander in Reiver Camacho at 2.8%.

The club’s 2022 first-round pick, Gabriel Hughes is another player with repeatable mechanics and solid command to show for it. Other players considered were Victor Juarez, Carson Palmquist, Isaiah Coupet, Andrew Quezada, Austin Emener, and Blake Adams.

Top 5 Command Tools

#5 – RHP Yujanyer Herrera

Herrera joined the Rockies organization midseason following a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers and put on a show, recording a 3.04 ERA in 2024. He proved his ability to pinpoint a mostly two-pitch arsenal exactly where he wants to find success. As a still 21-year-old, Herrera still has room to grow into his identity as a pitcher but there were massive strides in 2024, as Herrera showed he can be an adept starter because of his now quality command. Herrera gets ahead of hitters often with his lively fastball and showed great feel for locating his breaking ball as a putaway pitch.

With Herrera out for all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery, we won’t get to further evaluate his abilities until Spring Training next year.

#4 – RHP Jack Mahoney

Mahoney started his college career with South Carolina as a two-way player, before undergoing Tommy John surgery, depriving him of his sophomore season. Mahoney bounced back with a great junior campaign, getting picked in the third round by the Rockies.

His first pro season was a huge success, as he showed stable command and velocity while pitching 120 innings, though he was still in the process of fully building back up post-Tommy John. Mahoney has plus athleticism and a great feel for the zone. Because of his quality command of a power arsenal, Mahoney is one of the most surefire starting pitching prospects in the system and his command guides the way.

#3 – RHP Chase Dollander

It’s widely known that Friend of the Pod, Chase Dollander has the potential to be a generational talent for Colorado, even getting a nod from Baseball America as a top-10 prospect in the sport.

The most overlooked part of Dollander’s game is how good his command actually is. Dollander’s 2.59 ERA was stellar and is largely due to his premier stuff, but it would not have been possible without great feel for pitching and high-level command. While striking out 12.89 per nine in 2024, Dollander’s success was greatly aided by his command. Each one of his plus pitches were located in great spots consistently, and it rose Dollander into an elite tier of prospects going into 2025. Dollander’s command of all pitches and overall execution is what should make the Georgia native one of the best starting pitchers in Rockies history. 

Check out our Prospect Profile on Chase Dollander here!

#2 – RHP Zach Agnos

Agnos attributes his command to “throwing rocks at stuff” as a kid. The former East Carolina Pirate has worked his way quickly from a two-way dart throw of a prospect to a late inning threat out of the bullpen due to his ability to throw with precision. In 2024, Agnos had a WHIP of 0.78 across High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford. He has 3 solid pitches and was working on a cutter to further attack righties during the 2024 campaign.

Agnos’ fastball sits at 94 while the slider and changeup are in the mid-80s range. None of his pitches quite rise to a 60-grade, but the ability to get guys out exists because Agnos displays consistency locating at a high level. He’s allowed a measly 24 walks across 105.2 career innings pitched while striking out over a batter per inning. Agnos has a solid chance of being in purple by season’s end and could be a difference-maker in the Rockies’ pen.

#1 – LHP Sean Sullivan

Sullivan is cut from the same cloth as Kyle Freeland with some funky lefty traits and reliance on pitch location. Sully is like a wizard when it comes to commanding his pitches. His fastball will not light up the radar gun but it will fill the zone, mostly the edges, for strikes. The changeup is a nice combo pitch while the slider eats up lefties. All three pitches are effective due to his plus command and aggressive approach to hitters.

Last season, his first full-season as a professional, Sullivan reached Double-A Hartford and gave no reason to be worried as he works towards MLB. In 32 innings in the Eastern League, Sullivan posted a 1.09 WHIP, slightly higher than his 0.89 WHIP in Spokane, but he continued to limit hard contact and walks while dealing with a surgery-requiring hip injury that sapped his velocity. Sullivan’s abilities suggest that this will not change, making him part of the three-headed monster of starting pitching prospects with Dollander and Palmquist set to debut this year.

Check out our Profile on Sean Sullivan here!

This wraps the first part of BSB Tools Week! Tomorrow we will get a little crazy breaking down the best secondary pitches in the organization.

Be sure to check out our video breakdown of the Top 5 command pitchers: