Dollander should land in the top 20 picks.
2023 didn’t exactly go to plan for Chase Dollander. The 6-2, 200 pound righty was inconsistent throughout the year, throwing some cold water on the thought that he could end up going first overall.
Dollander received that hype after a wildly successful 2022 season. After transferring in from Georgia Southern, Dollander went 10-0 in 14 starts, posting a 2.39 ERA. Those numbers fell off to a 7-6 record in 2023 with a 4.75 ERA.
Now scouts and executives are faced with a tough evaluation. Can they get him back to the guy he was a year ago? That’s going to be a gamble worth taking early on in this draft. According to ESPN’s latest mock draft, it’ll be made by the Diamondbacks at No. 12 overall.
12. Arizona Diamondbacks: Chase Dollander
Dollander’s up-and-down season is leaving clubs with more questions than answers. The buzz has shifted from him as a potential 1-1 to possibly falling out of the top 10, maybe even behind red-hot Waldrep. In truth, I think Dollander’s range starts as high as No. 7 to Cincinnati and probably ends around here, or maybe at No. 15 to the White Sox. Arizona is in play on the second cut of prep hitters (Nimmala, Houck) and has been tied to a few college bats (Wilson, high water for Nolan Schanuel). This is around the point of the draft where the person making the pick needs this many options, given the uncertainty in picks six through 11.
Dollander would join Drew Gilbert and Jordan Beck as recent first round picks to come out of Knoxville. He would be the first pitcher from Tennessee to go in the first round since Garrett Crochet back in 2020.
The 2023 MLB Draft is set to begin on Sunday, July 9th.