Chase Dollander earns a spot on MLB Pipeline's Top 10 Right-Handed Pitchers list

Every year, MLB Pipeline releases their top prospect rankings, they start with their top 10 at each position and cap it all off with their Top 100 Prospects in the game. It's an exciting time, especially for Rockies' fans, as this team is in a rebuild and is hoping to get as many players on those lists as possible (it doesn't mean success, but most likely means that those guys are performing well in the minors).

MLB Pipeline kicked things off this year with the top 10 right-handed pitchers. The top 10 right-handed pitchers list is probably one of the hardest top 10 lists to make, up there with top 10 shortstops and top 10 outfielders,

The Rockies were able to land recent first round draft pick, Chase Dollander on the list, checking at number eight. This is a big step in the right direction for the Rockies as they haven't had a pitcher on the top 10 list since Jeff Hoffman checked in at number nine in 2017.

Dollander comes in two spots behind Rhett Lowder, a former 2023 first round pick just like Dollander (ironically, Dollander was selected two spots behind Lowder). He checks in two spots ahead of 2023 high school first rounder, Noble Meyer, as well. He is the highest ranked right-handed pitcher in the NL West, one spot ahead of Padres pitcher, Dylan Lesko.

Dollander’s pure stuff was still pretty exciting during his junior season, with a fastball that averaged around 96 mph and touched 99, a heater with good carry that elicits a lot of swings-and-misses. His mid-80s tight slider can touch the low 90s and is often a plus pitch with sweep. He has a bigger mid-70s curve and an upper-80s changeup with fade, and both can be effective, even if they aren’t as reliable a go-to as the fastball-slider combination.

Dollander has tremendous upside and is someone that should become the ace of this staff eventually. MLBPipeline gives Dollander high praise for his stuff. Dollander is a pitcher that the Rockies haven't had since the Jon Gray days and could potentially have an even higher ceiling. Rockies fans need to follow Dollander closely. He is a college arm, but struggled with walks in 2023, if he can get that back under control, he could prove to be a steal for the Rockies in the 2023 draft.