The Tennessee Vols baseball program has turned into one of the best in the SEC thanks to the Tony Vitello era. Given that, a now-former Vol is making waves in the big leagues and starting to blossom into a star.
Former Tennessee pitcher Chase Dollander is off to one of the hottest, if not the hottest, starts in the MLB right now. The 24-year-old Colorado Rockies ace is the only pitcher in the major leagues with a sub-2.50 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of over 10.5.
The only qualified pitcher averaging over 10.5 K/9 with a sub-2.50 ERA this season:
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) April 26, 2026
Chase Dollander 🔥
The 24-year-old is breaking out in his second season in the bigs! pic.twitter.com/K6SsZNKCtq
Former Tennessee SP Chase Dollander is off to an amazing start in Colorado
Dollander was the ninth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Tennessee, and so far, he has lived up to the hype. Colorado is typically a difficult place for pitchers to succeed, but he hasn’t been phased and has been dominant this season after a rough rookie year.
The most significant development for Dollander has been the growth of his fastball. In his rookie season, Dollander ranked in the fifth percentile in fastball run value. This season, he has improved dramatically to the 99th percentile, while increasing his average velocity to 98.8 mph, another MPH faster than last season. His fastball's whiff rate has reached elite levels, too, as it is at 30%.
To put this in perspective, Paul Skenes fastball is at a 24.7% whiff rate right now.
Dolander has kept the success going, as the former Vol pitched yesterday against the New York Mets. Dollander went seven innings with five hits and seven strikeouts. He gave up no earned runs during the outing. Hopefully, Dollander can reach Garret Crochet levels soon as a dominant pitcher in the majors.
The season is young, but Dollander is off to one of the best starts in baseball. If he keeps this up, an All-Star appearance this summer feels very possible.
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