Experts rave about Tennessee's Chase Dollander in 2023 MLB Draft: 'Quick to the big leagues'
Tennessee baseball's Chase Dollander received considerable praise after his selection in the 2023 MLB Draft. After the Colorado Rockies took the Vols pitcher with the No. 9 overall pick, on-air analysts raved about his potential.
Even a former SEC rival.
"This guy is special and will be quick to the big leagues," LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson said on the MLB Network broadcast. Johnson, the reigning national champion, was quick to show respect Dollander.
Entering the season, Dollander was in competition with LSU's Paul Skenes, the top overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates, as one of the top pitching prospects heading into the 2023 draft. At his best, ESPN's Karl Ravech remarked, Dollander could have been worthy of a top-two selection.
"This feels like a great pick," Ravech said.
A shaky junior campaign coming out of a 2022 SEC pitcher of the year season led to Dollander's draft stock dropping. But his flaws are something ESPN's on-air analysts agreed are negligible and can be fixed.
"You can get him back to last year (2022)," Kyle Peterson said. "And if that's the case, he can be around for a long time."
"It's a high ceiling pick there's no doubt about it," Chris Burke, a former Tennessee player, added.
Dollander was the first Tennessee player taken off the draft board and the highest-drafted player under coach Tony Vitello. The Georgia native finished his Tennessee career with a 17-6 record after a 10-0 sophomore season. He notched a 3.64 career ERA with the Vols.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 2023 MLB Draft: Experts love Chase Dollander pick by Colorado Rockies
