Tyler Paddor | March 16, 2025

We’ve finally reached the top of our BSB Top 40 prospects series with some extreme talent being covered the last few days as part of our top 5. No talent quite stacks up with Chase Dollander, however.

This series was timed to wrap up on the day of the Rockies Spring Breakout game which will be held today at 5:05 PM EST / 3:05 PM MST. Colorado will take on the White Sox and their revamped farm system.

Find all the links for the series below.

Full List of Prospects Rankings
Honorable Mentions | Prospects 36-40 | Prospects 31-35 | Prospects 30-26
Prospects 21 – 25 | Prospects 16-20 | Prospects 11-15 | Prospects 8-10 | Prospects 7-6 | Prospect 5 | Prospect 4 | Prospect 3 | Prospect 2

#1 – RHP Chase Dollander

Pitching and Coors Field is like water and oil; they don’t quite mix. Aside from a few standout arms in Rockies history like Ubaldo Jimenez, Jon Gray, and German Marquez, the Rockies have been unable to establish a consistent power pitcher at altitude. Now the club has a chance to reset the standard with Chase Dollander, arguably the best pitching prospect in Rockies history.

A Georgia native, Dollander was underrecruited out of high school and ended up at Georgia Southern in 2021 where he flashed quality stuff but lacked polish. After hitting the transfer portal, Tennessee targeted Dollander and the rest is history. Dollander’s 2022 season at Tennessee was one of the best collegiate seasons in years with Dollander working a 2.39 ERA to go along with an elite 108:13 K:BB ratio; that’s almost eight and a half strikeouts per walk. 

Dollander’s 2023 season at Tennessee was a step back after he altered his mechanics in a way that reduced his balance as he sought an extra tick of power on his stuff. Fortunately for the Rockies, Dollander’s down 2023 year allowed him to slip to the 9th overall pick–after he had been projected as a potential #1 overall pick going into the college season. Read more about Dollander’s mechanical changes in our 2023 draft breakdown.

Dollander made his pro debut in 2024 after being acclimated more slowly into pro ball, evident right away that his mechanics had been cleaned up and returned back to the cleaner version we saw in 2022. The result is… well Dollander is now being dubbed the best Rockies pitching prospect ever.

Dollander’s 2.59 ERA and 169 strikeouts are unparalleled numbers for a season among Rockies pitching prospects all-time between the run prevention and dominant strikeout stuff.

The Georgia kid gets it done with arguably the best fastball to ever grace the organization in a starting pitcher. Dollander’s fastball sits 95-97, touching 99 with run and the shape to attack up in the zone with the look of rise to hitters. To back it up, Dollander throws a hard slider, capable of touching 90 with tight, sharp break that makes it a nasty pitch both to get ahead early in counts or put hitters away late.

Dollander has always had a changeup and curveball in his mix as well, though both pitches have taken massive steps forward in pro ball. Dollander’s changeup averages around 89, touching 91 with heavy run and could become a true weapon as he continues implementing it.

Meanwhile, his curveball is an upper-70s hook that provides a necessary change of pace from the rest of Dollander’s power arsenal. At times, the curveball looks very effective thanks to it’s sharp vertical shape. Outing-to-outing, Dollander may have better feel for one secondary versus the others and he may rely on his slider one day, his curveball the next, and his changeup after that. It makes him a tough scout for hitters.

Dollander isn’t always precise–it’s hard to be with the type of stuff he possesses–but he is almost always around the zone and when he’s right, he pinpoints his electric 4-pitch arsenal and is borderline untouchable. That’s the mark of an ace.

With Rockies fans clamoring for Dollander on the big league roster on Opening Day, they’ll most likely have to wait until early this summer after a short buildup in the minors.

Thanks for joining us as we unveiled the BSB Top 40, we seriously hope you enjoyed. Let us know on Twitter (X) or wherever you follow us on social media what you thought and what changes you would make. With that said, enjoy the Spring Breakout game!

BSB Top 40 Prospect Recap

Honorable Mentions | Prospects 36-40 | Prospects 31-35 | Prospects 30-26
Prospects 21 – 25 | Prospects 16-20 | Prospects 11-15 | Prospects 8-10 | Prospects 7-6 | Prospect 5 | Prospect 4 | Prospect 3 | Prospect 2

The Rockies farm system is as deep as it has been in recent memory with strength at every key position group. Starting in the back half of the system, pitching depth both in terms of starters and relievers comprises the bulk. A handful of relievers have already made their mark on the Rockies big league club while the starting pitching depth mostly lies in the middle levels of the minors.

As we turn to the top half of the system, positional prospects make their mark with a few promising starters mixed in. With few prospect graduations in recent years, a prospect dam is about to burst on 20th and Blake.