Taylor Dollard

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #12 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/Medium
  
  Track Record: Dollard began his career at Cal Poly as a shutdown reliever before transitioning to the rotation as a junior. He made only four starts before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the season but showed enough for the Mariners to draft him in the fifth round. Dollard flourished at Double-A Arkansas in 2022 and won the Texas League pitcher of the year award. He entered the 2023 season in the Mariners’ big-league plans, but he made just three starts at Triple-A Tacoma before suffering a labrum injury in his right shoulder that required season-ending surgery.
  
  Scouting Report: Dollard is a good athlete with a smooth, easy delivery and exquisite command. He locates his entire four-pitch arsenal and effectively reads swings to exploit batters’ holes. Dollard’s command needs to be sharp because his stuff is pedestrian. His average fastball sits 91-93 mph with just enough extension and ride to play in the strike zone. His two-plane, 78-82 mph slider lacks exceptional power or spin, but plays as a plus pitch with his ability to locate it. His 81-83 mph split-changeup is an average pitch that induces ground balls and he mixes in a big-breaking, 68-72 mph curveball to disrupt hitters’ timing. Dollard has a good feel for mixing his pitches and is a tough, aggressive competitor. He’s strong in his frame and showed he was durable before his injury.
  
  The Future: Dollard is set to return in 2024. He projects to be a valuable swingman.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #6 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Dollard spent his first two seasons in Cal Poly's bullpen and starred in the Cape Cod League before moving into the Mustangs' rotation as a junior. He made four starts before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 season, but that was enough for the Mariners to draft him in the fifth round and sign him for $406,600. Dollard struggled at the Class A levels in his pro debut, but improvements to his stuff and movement led to a breakout 2022 season at Double-A Arkansas. He led the minors with 16 wins and finished seventh with a 2.25 ERA, earning the Texas League pitcher of the year award.
  
  Scouting Report: Dollard has long been a smooth athlete with a clean delivery and plus control, but his stuff was a tick light. That changed after he hit the weight room hard after the 2021 season and came back throwing 1-2 mph harder with improved vertical ride. Dollard's fastball now ranges from 91-94 mph with above-average extension that helps it jump on hitters faster than they expect. His primary offspeed pitch is a plus slider that sits 78-82 mph with a long arc and bend. Dollard's slider lacks exceptional power or spin, but he has exquisite command of the pitch and is able to locate it on the corners where hitters can't do anything. He also has an average low-80s split-changeup and a soft, vertical curveball in the high 60s he'll throw to disrupt hitters' timing. Dollard's stuff isn't overwhelming, but he is a fearless competitor who goes right after hitters and quickly gets ahead in counts. He effectively exploits batters' holes with his plus command and has the intelligence and athleticism to make quick adjustments.
  
  The Future: Dollard projects to be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter who can slide into long relief as needed, similar to Collin McHugh. He'll head to Triple-A Tacoma in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 60
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #20 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Dollard pitched two seasons in relief at Cal Poly before moving into the starting rotation as a junior. He made only four starts before the 2020 season shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Mariners saw enough to select him in the fifth round and sign him for $406,600. Dollard made his pro debut in 2021 and struggled to a 5.14 ERA across both Class A levels, but he struck out 11.4 batters per nine innings while showing underlying promise on high-performance analytics models.
  
  Scouting Report: Dollard moves well through his athletic delivery and pounds the strike zone with plus command and control. He is an elite mover in the words of one evaluator and has caught the attention of opposing teams who think they can unlock more stuff given his delivery and athleticism. Dollard’s stuff is mostly average at present. His fastball sits 91-92 mph and occasionally touches 94, and he has a good feel for using his above-average slider. His curveball and changeup are fringy pitches he’ll use to steal a strike or disrupt batters’ timing. Dollard has room to get stronger and fill out his frame, but he’s likely to always be a control-oriented pitcher.
  
  The Future: Dollard has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation starter if his stuff makes the anticipated leap. He’ll see Double-A in 2022.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #158 prospect in 2020 draft
  Dollard excelled in Cal Poly’s bullpen his first two seasons and continued his ace relief in the Cape Cod League last summer. He moved into Cal Poly’s rotation this spring and made a smooth transition to starting with a 1.67 ERA in four starts before the season shut down. Dollard intrigues evaluators as an athletic righthander with command of four pitches and a low-mileage arm. His fastball sits 88-92 mph, but it plays up with deception and command and gets more swings and misses than expected. He gets ahead of hitters with his fastball and finishes them with his slider, an above-average to plus pitch that draws swings and misses and projects to be an out pitch at higher levels. He has a usable curveball he can drop in for a strike at any time and a changeup that has a chance to be average with further development. Dollard still has room to fill out his frame and reminds many evaluators of what Shane Bieber looked like in college. Evaluators further suspect Dollard’s pitches have strong analytics traits, with one terming him an “analytics guy’s dream.”

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Dollard spent his first two seasons in Cal Poly's bullpen and starred in the Cape Cod League before moving into the Mustangs' rotation as a junior. He made four starts before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 season, but that was enough for the Mariners to draft him in the fifth round and sign him for $406,600. Dollard struggled at the Class A levels in his pro debut, but improvements to his stuff and movement led to a breakout 2022 season at Double-A Arkansas. He led the minors with 16 wins and finished seventh with a 2.25 ERA, earning the Texas League pitcher of the year award.
  
  Scouting Report: Dollard has long been a smooth athlete with a clean delivery and plus control, but his stuff was a tick light. That changed after he hit the weight room hard after the 2021 season and came back throwing 1-2 mph harder with improved vertical ride. Dollard's fastball now ranges from 91-94 mph with above-average extension that helps it jump on hitters faster than they expect. His primary offspeed pitch is a plus slider that sits 78-82 mph with a long arc and bend. Dollard's slider lacks exceptional power or spin, but he has exquisite command of the pitch and is able to locate it on the corners where hitters can't do anything. He also has an average low-80s split-changeup and a soft, vertical curveball in the high 60s he'll throw to disrupt hitters' timing. Dollard's stuff isn't overwhelming, but he is a fearless competitor who goes right after hitters and quickly gets ahead in counts. He effectively exploits batters' holes with his plus command and has the intelligence and athleticism to make quick adjustments.
  
  The Future: Dollard projects to be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter who can slide into long relief as needed, similar to Collin McHugh. He'll head to Triple-A Tacoma in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 60
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Dollard spent his first two seasons in Cal Poly's bullpen and starred in the Cape Cod League before moving into the Mustangs' rotation as a junior. He made four starts before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 season, but that was enough for the Mariners to draft him in the fifth round and sign him for $406,600. Dollard struggled at the Class A levels in his pro debut, but improvements to his stuff and movement led to a breakout 2022 season at Double-A Arkansas. He led the minors with 16 wins and finished seventh with a 2.25 ERA, earning the Texas League pitcher of the year award.
  
  Scouting Report: Dollard has long been a smooth athlete with a clean delivery and plus control, but his stuff was a tick light. That changed after he hit the weight room hard after the 2021 season and came back throwing 1-2 mph harder with improved vertical ride. Dollard's fastball now ranges from 91-94 mph with above-average extension that helps it jump on hitters faster than they expect. His primary offspeed pitch is a plus slider that sits 78-82 mph with a long arc and bend. Dollard's slider lacks exceptional power or spin, but he has exquisite command of the pitch and is able to locate it on the corners where hitters can't do anything. He also has an average low-80s split-changeup and a soft, vertical curveball in the high 60s he'll throw to disrupt hitters' timing. Dollard's stuff isn't overwhelming, but he is a fearless competitor who goes right after hitters and quickly gets ahead in counts. He effectively exploits batters' holes with his plus command and has the intelligence and athleticism to make quick adjustments.
  
  The Future: Dollard projects to be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter who can slide into long relief as needed, similar to Collin McHugh. He'll head to Triple-A Tacoma in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 60
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Dollard pitched two seasons in relief at Cal Poly before moving into the starting rotation as a junior. He made only four starts before the 2020 season shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Mariners saw enough to select him in the fifth round and sign him for $406,600. Dollard made his pro debut in 2021 and struggled to a 5.14 ERA across both Class A levels, but he struck out 11.4 batters per nine innings while showing underlying promise on high-performance analytics models.
  
  Scouting Report: Dollard moves well through his athletic delivery and pounds the strike zone with plus command and control. He is an “elite mover” in the words of one evaluator and has caught the attention of opposing teams who think they can unlock more stuff given his delivery and athleticism. Dollard&#39s stuff is mostly average at present. His fastball sits 91-92 mph and occasionally touches 94, and he has a good feel for using his above-average slider. His curveball and changeup are fringy pitches he&#39ll use to steal a strike or disrupt batters&#39 timing. Dollard has room to get stronger and fill out his frame, but he&#39s likely to always be a control-oriented pitcher.
  
  The Future: Dollard has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation starter if his stuff makes the anticipated leap. He&#39ll see Double-A in 2022.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 60
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Dollard pitched two seasons in relief at Cal Poly before moving into the starting rotation as a junior. He made only four starts before the 2020 season shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Mariners saw enough to select him in the fifth round and sign him for $406,600. Dollard made his pro debut in 2021 and struggled to a 5.14 ERA across both Class A levels, but he struck out 11.4 batters per nine innings while showing underlying promise on high-performance analytics models.
  
  Scouting Report: Dollard moves well through his athletic delivery and pounds the strike zone with plus command and control. He is an elite mover in the words of one evaluator and has caught the attention of opposing teams who think they can unlock more stuff given his delivery and athleticism. Dollard’s stuff is mostly average at present. His fastball sits 91-92 mph and occasionally touches 94, and he has a good feel for using his above-average slider. His curveball and changeup are fringy pitches he’ll use to steal a strike or disrupt batters’ timing. Dollard has room to get stronger and fill out his frame, but he’s likely to always be a control-oriented pitcher.
  
  The Future: Dollard has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation starter if his stuff makes the anticipated leap. He’ll see Double-A in 2022.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  The Mariners' fifth-round pick last year, Dollard's fastball has ticked up this season to enhance his future outlook. After sitting 88-92 mph in college, he is now ranging from 90-94 mph to help give him an average or better arsenal across the board as opposed to his stuff being a touch light. He has maintained his plus control with the increase, helping him move quickly from Low-A Modesto to High-A Everett.