Chase Dollander Making Most of New Role in the Bullpen

Part of what a successful season for the Colorado Rockies would look like hinged on the sophomore campaign for right-hander Chase Dollander.

Last season was a tale of two for the 24-year-old. Overall, his 6.52 ERA ranked 46th among 47 rookie pitchers with at least 50 innings. Certainly, a number to forget, but it was somewhat misleading. At home, he had a 9.98 ERA; a 3.46 on the road. Sure, those home games count just the same, but it just goes to show the challenges some have at Coors Field.

He’s an uber-talented right-hander, as evidenced by him going ninth overall in 2023. After dominating the minor leagues in 2024, he made 23 starts between Triple-A and MLB in 2025. While he flashed some of his ability as a rookie, his command oftentimes failed him.

This year, he’s taken to a new role as a multi-inning reliever. He’s made six appearances, posting a 2.88 ERA with a 3.34 FIP and a strikeout rate of 30.8 percent.

On average, he’s getting roughly one fewer out per outing so far in 2026. While fewer outs, it’s not enough to chalk it up as his stuff playing up in the bullpen. But something is working for the right-hander that wasn’t a season ago.

Chase Dollander with another strong outing out of the bullpen!

6 IP
3 H
1 ER
1 BB
9 K

He's struck out 9 batters in each of his last two outings ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/j13xKX1R6e

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) April 22, 2026

What is playing into his Year 2 breakout in the bullpen?

Uptick in Velocity

Dollander didn’t have a problem with his heater last year, but he’s ratcheted it up another mile in 2026. With that uptick has come an increased in whiff rate and a massive dip in opponents’ production against it.

In 2025, batters hit .286 with a .548 slug against Dollander’s four-seam. Entering play Tuesday, opponents were hitting .125 with a .250 slug against it. His whiff rate is up from 19.9% to 31.3 in 2026.

The contact against it also has improved for the right-hander, down nearly two miles per hour in average exit velocity.

His sinker also has seen an uptick in velocity. Last year, it was 97.2 mph and this year it’s up to 98.7 mph on average. The results, like with his four-seam, have followed. Opponents entered play Tuesday hitting just .235 against it, down from .306 last year.

Pitch Usage Tweak

Additionally, Dollander’s utilized the sinker a lot more in 2026. His four-seam, which is his top offering, generates a ton of whiff while his sinker manipulates contact.

In 2025, his sinker wasn’t exceptional by any means, albeit just a 9.8% usage rate. This year, he’s nearly tripled that usage but is finding a lot more success.

What’s fascinating in the early returns of his season is the massive downtick in curveball usage. It was his best offering in 2025, holding opponents to a .205 wOBA and 35.7% whiff rate. This year, that usage is down to 7.1% from 21.3.

Entering play Tuesday, his curveball hadn’t yielded a hit in 2026. However, he’d only thrown a total of 23 times, but to the tune of a 54.5% whiff rate.

Overall, his fastball usage is stagnant from a season ago. However, with the major uptick in sinker usage he’s lowered his four-seam usage. Again, a small sample size, but that seems to have been a welcome shift in the gameplan.

Offseason Mechanical Changes

In spring training, Dollander told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that he and the Rockies noticed an issue with his mechanics last year.

“We figured out that I have a ton of external rotation in my hips, and that’s usually for guys that are more linear to the plate,” Dollander said. “There were a bunch of different things we tried, with leg kicks, with setups, with thought processes. I think we found something that works.”

Part of cleaning up his mechanics was hoping to find the zone more. Last year, he walked 11.1% of hitters. Through 25 innings this year, he’s walked just 6.7% of batters. Overall, just seven walks compared to 32 strikeouts across 104 total batters faced.

His arm slot also is lower from last year, even if ever so slightly. His arm slot was 26 degrees last year; this year, down to 23 degrees. Between a cleaner delivery, lower arm slot, and uptick in fastball velocity, he’s become an uncomfortable at-bat.

His chase rate is up to 32.5% from 23.5% last year. He’s whiffing hitters at nearly an equally more potent rate. As a result, his walks are down and his strikeouts are up. Not to mention the improved contact manipulation against his fastballs in general.

Put all that together, and you’ve got a recipe for a breakout campaign for a young, talented reliever.

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