Where Tennessee pitcher Chase Dollander is projected in MLB first-round mock drafts

Tennessee baseball set a program record with 10 players selected in the 2021 MLB Draft, including a pair of first-round picks in Drew Gilbert and Jordan Beck. Next up for the Vols in the first round, according to the 2023 MLB mock drafts, is junior right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander.

A year ago he was considered the top pitching prospect in the 2023 draft and, after an up-and-down season withe the Vols, he’s still widely considered to be a top-ten pick next month, when the MLB Draft is held July 9-11 in Seattle.

Other Tennessee players to watch in the 2023 draft, according to ESPN, include shortstop Maui Ahuna, the Kansas transfer, first baseman Blake Burke and catcher/outfielder Jared Dickey. ESPN ranked 41 prospects playing in the College World Series, with Dollander at No. 5, Ahuna at No. 28, Burke at No. 34 and Dickey at No. 38.

Second baseman Christian Moore was ranked No. 14 on the same list, ahead of right-hander Chase Burns (No. 20) and right-hander Drew Beam (No. 24), but those three Vols won’t be eligible for the draft until 2024.

Dollander during a breakout 2022 season went 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA over 79.0 innings pitched. He gave up just 21 earned runs and had 108 strikeouts to 13 walks. He allowed just 50 hits. This season he finished 7-6 with a 4.75 ERA over 89.0 innings, giving up 47 earned runs on 83 hits, with 120 strikeouts against 30 walks.

Here’s where the most recent first-round mock drafts have Dollander getting picked:

Sporting News

Sporting News | No. 6, Oakland Athletics: “(Dollander is) the high-powered Tennessee arm believed early in the draft to be the top college arm in the field. Dollander struggled to build off a standout 2022, but the stuff is still there, and Oakland has reportedly had plenty of interest in college players with their top pick. There is upside to be had with Dollander given his stuff, and after high-risk/high-reward college picks in the past (Kyler Murray, A.J. Puk and Logan Davidson), Oakland seems like a team willing to take the gamble on the hard-throwing right-hander” — Edward Sutelan

ESPN

ESPN | No. 7, Cincinnati Reds: “There’s been a lot of chatter that this will be a pitcher, with Dollander gaining steam in the past few weeks as Rhett Lowder was just OK in the ACC tournament. Sources I spoke with believe, only with a medium degree of certainty, that Dollander won’t get past this pick.” — Kiley McDaniel

Baseball Prospect Journal

Baseball Prospect Journal | No. 7, Cincinnati Reds: “Dollander entered the year as the top pitcher in this year’s class. Some scouts considered him the best pitching prospect in at least 10 years. He hasn’t necessarily lived up to the high expectations this season, as his stuff hasn’t been as sharp as last year. He’s still has a quality pitch mix and ace potential.” — Dan Zielinksi III

The Athletic

The Athletic | No. 9, Colorado Rockies: “Word is the Rockies would probably take the best college pitcher available here, which could be Dollander, Lowder, maybe even Joe Whitman if you really value the lefthandedness.” — Keith Law

MLB.com

MLB.com | No. 9, Colorado Rockies: “Dollander has been more inconsistent than expected, but he struck out 13 in his final regular-season start, and the Rockies never would have dreamed they’d have a shot to get him coming into the year.” — Jim Calls

CBS Sports

CBS Sports | No. 20, Toronto Blue Jays: “On pure arm talent, Dollander is the second best pitcher in the draft class behind (LSU’s Paul) Skenes, though his command lags and his performance has been all over the place. He struck out 13 in 5 1/3 innings in his final regular-season start, didn’t make it out of the fifth inning in the Regionals, then threw eight innings to save Tennessee’s season in the Super Regionals. Dollander feels like the kind of dice roll the Blue Jays are willing to take.” — Mike Axis