Rockies’ Chase Dollander says he prepared for Coors Field craziness

There will come a time, if not on Sunday, then soon, when Chase Dollander will be face-to-face with the beast of LoDo.

He’ll watch a bloop hit drop into the vast outfield, witness a double sail into the gap in left-center and stand amazed as a cheap home run creeps over the left-field wall, turning a well-pitched ballgame into a Coors Field special with a crooked score.

Dollander understands that and says he’s prepared.

“I think, mentally, I’m 100% ready,” the Rockies’ No. 1 prospect said Saturday afternoon from the dugout at Coors. “I’ve been preparing for this moment, and I’m ready to go out there and just have fun.

“There are things that will come up, homers that probably won’t go out anywhere else. But you have to realize that things are going to happen, realize what’s happening, and be able to calm yourself down. That’s one thing I’m really good at.”

The right-hander is scheduled to make his highly anticipated major league debut Sunday against the Athletics. The 23-year-old’s poise and maturity, on the field and off, are significant reasons in Colorado’s decision to promote him after just one start at Triple-A Albuquerque.

“When you make this kind of decision, there are several factors that go into it,” manager Bud Black said. “Chase’s maturity was apparent in the minor leagues, and it was apparent when we drafted him. It became clear to us that this guy was on his way to being a major league pitcher.”

The 2023 No. 9 overall pick out of Tennessee had a dominant 2024 season, posting a 2.59 ERA in 23 starts across High-A and Double-A and also pitched in the All-Star Futures Game. In his one Triple-A Start at Sacramento last Sunday, he allowed one run on six hits, with two walks and five strikeouts over four innings.

“We think his small amount of seasoning in the minor leagues was just enough,” Black said.

Dollander, sporting No. 32 on his jersey, will have four special people at Coors to witness his debut. His mom, Sandra, his stepfather, David Wall, girlfriend Caroline Simpson, and longtime friend Bryce Atchinson will be on hand.

Rockies Hall of Famer Todd Helton, who also played at Tennessee, is in Denver this weekend and delayed his return home to Knoxville to watch Dollander pitch on Sunday.

“He texted me,” Dollander said. “It’s something pretty special. It was awesome. I can’t wait to see him and thank him. He was actually one of the first people that texted me when I was drafted. That was really cool.”

Helton, who watched Dollander pitch at Tennessee, has been impressed.

“What he’s done in the minor leagues, I mean, there are a lot of guys that have great stuff, but they don’t — for whatever reason — go on to dominate in the minor leagues,” said Helton, a special front-office assistant who works with minor leaguers. “To come in and dominate so quickly says a lot.

“He takes it seriously. He battles. He has a little attitude. We need people like that.”

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