‘Trust your stuff’: Pitcher Chase Dollander takes confidence into MLB All-Star Futures Game

Chase Dollander’s confidence is building each time he takes the mound, and with good reason.

In his own words, “I’ve gotten stronger with every outing that I’ve had.”

That’s been bad news for High-A Northwest League hitters this season – but it might not be their problem for much longer.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, first things first.

Dollander will represent himself, the Colorado Rockies and his Spokane Indians teammates this weekend at the MLB All-Star Futures Game on Saturday at Globe Life stadium in Arlington, Texas.

He’s excited, of course, to test his ability with and against some of the top prospects the game has to offer on its biggest stage. But the 22-year-old No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft didn’t set that as part of his agenda at the start of the season.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t really know it was a thing until about two years ago, until I had teammates start playing in it,” he said. “I always thought it’d be cool to play in it, but I wouldn’t say it was a goal for me.”

It’s another line in his impressive resume, but he knows how much help he’s had to get there.

“I wouldn’t be here without these guys behind me and in the clubhouse. I have to give some credit to them, too – they’ve played great defense behind me – and the coaches that helped me. It’s really been a team effort.”

Dollander came into the season a heralded prospect and his performance this season has only bolstered his reputation.

“I’m always learning, I’m always adjusting,” he said. “I’m always trying to figure out ways to get better.”

He cites pitching coach Blaine Beatty as being a big contributor to the mental aspect of his game.

“Beatty has helped me learn how to read hitters. I’ve gotten a lot better at that, how to read swings and things like that,” he said. “My stuff has gotten a lot better, in my opinion. I’ve done nothing but gain velocity on my fastball since I’ve been here. Everything is just kind of starting to add up with all the hard work that I put in and you know, all the things that I do to make sure I’m healthy.”

As with a lot of modern pitchers, and athletes in general, Dollander uses all the tools at his disposal, from the “eye test” to high-tech analytics.

“I’d say it’s a pretty good balance,” he said. “Obviously, you go into the game with a plan based on what the hitters’ weaknesses are, but at the end of the day, you know, you have to pitch with what you have.”

That plays into his confidence in his stuff.

“That’s just kind of my mentality – I go into the game with my stuff, and I know that my stuff is going to beat a lot of people. And I just have that confidence in it and I’m not going to deviate from my plan until you make me deviate from it.”

If that happens – and it hasn’t much this season– that’s when he leans on scouting reports and his game plan to attack with his fastball and keep hitters off-balance with the rest of his repertoire.

“That’s when I start reading swings and things like that. Obviously, I’m doing that as the game is going on from the first (inning) to whatever, but there are times where I can get away with stuff just because I read the swing before and I’m like ‘OK, he’s not looking for this pitch here. So, let’s do this.’ ”

Early in the season, Beatty would talk Dollander through scenarios in the dugout, but the pitcher has taken more initiative as the season has gone on.

“Now, it’s been less and less and less conversation, just because I’m getting more locked in on what I need to be locked in on,” he said.

Something that the organization, as well as scouts and fans, have taken notice of is an uptick in velocity for Dollander this season. As the weather has warmed, so has his fastball – which hit triple digits in his last inning of work Tuesday night.

“I’m gonna establish my fastball and make you adjust to it and as soon as that happens, I start throwing other stuff. But that’s not always the game plan. Obviously, I like to change it up just to throw the hitters off-balance and so they never know what’s coming. But most of the time, it’s: ‘Here. Here’s my fastball. I’m gonna pitch off of it. Good luck.’ ”

Dollander said the “trust your stuff” mantra started in college with pitching coach Frank Anderson at Tennessee.

“He just kind of said, ‘Dude, your stuff’s good enough. Just throw it and trust it.’ So that’s what I started to do.”

In his latest start on Tuesday, Dollander lasted three innings in oppressive heat. All nine of his outs came via strikeout. For the season, he’s 4-1 with a 2.83 earned run average with 111 strikeouts over 70 innings (14.3 K/9). Some might say he has nothing left to learn at this level and that a promotion to Double-A is due.

For his part, Dollander is up for any challenge.

“I mean, I feel like I’m ready (for promotion),” he said. “Obviously, it’s not up to me. It’s not my decision. It’s in the hands of the Rockies and I trust them, and their development and their planning for me. But I feel like I’m ready. But all I can do is just focus on the next game. The next day, the next hour, the next second; just stay where my feet are and execute my game plan every time I go out there.”