The first spring training under the new president of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta, is underway in Arizona. Going into the season, expectations are not what they are in other camps for an organization coming off a third straight 100-loss season. In fact, it was the worst season yet with Colorado losing 119 games.
That is in the past and as pitcher Kyle Freeland said earlier this offseason, there is a “very big breath of fresh air.” For once, there appears to be a change in hope surrounding the Rockies.
One area that was addressed by DePodesta was the starting rotation. There is a mixture of veterans and young arms that manager Warren Schaeffer is going to have at his disposal this spring. One of those young pitchers, Chase Dollander, is once again going to have a lot of eyes on him leading into the start of the regular season.
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Chase Dollander / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Alden Gonzalez of ESPN listed one player on each team to keep an eye on this spring and for the Rockies, it was Dollander. His first season in Colorado was a struggle, but you could make the case that several players struggled last season, but he is one of a handful of players that the Rockies need to bounce back in a big way in 2026.
“As a rookie last year, Dollander made 21 starts in a rotation that put up the highest starters’ ERA in baseball history. He struggled at mile-high altitude, as most tend to, but he was solid on the road, putting up a 3.46 ERA in 52 innings. A new baseball operations department led by Paul DePodesta believes he can take a big step forward this season. The Rockies need him to,” wrote Gonzalez.
DePodesta brought in free agent Michael Lorenzen to slot in behind Freeland at the top of the rotation and on Tuesday, Colorado signed 37-year-old Jose Quintana for rotation depth. Tomoyuki Sugano was recently signed and along with Dollander, Ryan Feltner and Tanner Gordon are going to be looking to earn a spot in the rotation.
Dollander’s numbers last season in 21 starts were not good. He went 2-12 with a 6.52 ERA in 98 innings with 82 strikeouts and 49 walks. Seventy-one of the 76 runs he allowed were earned. As Gonzalez pointed out, he pitched much better away from Coors Field. If he can bounce back in spring training and gain some confidence, then a middle-of-the-rotation spot is not out of the question and something Schaeffer needs.