Rafael Dolis

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #7 prospect in 2012
  The Cubs love to try failed position players on the mound, and their success stories include former catchers Carlos Marmol and Randy Wells. They originally signed Dolis as a shortstop but made him a pitcher before he arrived in the United States in 2006. He hurt his elbow in 2007 and missed 2008 following Tommy John surgery, then claimed a spot on the 40-man roster by hitting 101 mph during instructional league in 2009. Dolis reminds scouts of Marmol, and the similarities became more striking when he became a full-time reliever in 2011. He can make hitters look silly with two pitches, a 93-100 mph fastball with heavy sink and a mid-80s slider with hard bite. His stuff theoretically should have played up in shorter stints, but Dolis' strikeout rate dipped to a career-low 5.9 per nine innings. That's because he focused so much on his command, his biggest shortcoming, that he pounded the bottom of the strike zone and generated tons of groundouts rather than strikeouts. He has a clean high three-quarters delivery that gives him good downward plane with his pitches, but he still needs to throw more strikes. A potential closer if he improves his command, Dolis made his major league debut in late September. He figures to get some Triple-A experience at the start of 2012.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #9 prospect in 2011
  The Cubs like to experiment with failed position players as pitchers, and they've turned former catchers into their closer (Carlos Marmol) and No. 4 starter (Randy Wells). They signed Dolis as a shortstop and moved him to the mound before he made his U.S. debut in 2006. He missed most of 2007 and all of 2008 with elbow issues that resulted in Tommy John surgery, then claimed a spot on the 40-man roster when he hit 101 mph in instructional league in 2009. Dolis' stuff kicked up a notch when current big league pitching coach Mark Riggins had him go to a full windup in the fall of 2009. Dolis pitched at 94-96 mph as a starter last season, holding his velocity deep into games, and if he moves to the bullpen he could work in the upper 90s. His mid-80s slider gives him a second potential plus pitch, and he also shows feel for a changeup. His command and control are still works in progress, understandable for a former infielder with less than 300 innings under his belt. Dolis has the power repertoire to close games, though it's too early to give up on him as a starter. At worst, the extra innings will give him some much-needed experience. After finishing 2010 in Double-A, he'll return there to start this season.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #13 prospect in 2010
  The Cubs convert more position players to pitchers than most clubs. The best starter on their big league club last season was Randy Wells, an ex-catcher, and their closer down the stretch was Carlos Marmol, a former catcher/infielder. The talk of Chicago's instructional league camp was Dolis, originally signed as a shortstop. He became a pitcher before he made his U.S. debut in 2006, but he injured his elbow early in 2007 and missed 2008 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Cubs kept Dolis on short pitch counts when he returned last season, and he showed a 92-97 mph fastball and flashed a hard slider while averaging fewer than four innings per start. In instructional league, pitching coordinator Mark Riggins had Dolis start using a full windup. The results were immediate, as Dolis' fastball sat in the mid-90s and touched triple digits. His slider jumped to 86-87 mph and showed out-pitch potential. He also has a changeup with some fade, but at times he throws the pitch too hard. The full windup allowed Dolis to get better extension on his delivery and better finish on his pitches, and may be the key to improving his inconsistent command and control. If Dolis can throw more quality strikes, he has the stuff to be a frontline starter. If not, he could be a late-inning weapon out of the bullpen. After adding Dolis to the 40-man roster, the Cubs will send him to Double-A to open 2010.

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: The Cubs love to try failed position players on the mound, and their success stories include former catchers Carlos Marmol and Randy Wells. They signed Dolis as a shortstop but made him a pitcher before he arrived in the United States in 2006. He hurt his elbow in 2007 and missed 2008 following Tommy John surgery, then claimed a spot on the 40-man roster by hitting 101 mph during instructional league in 2009. Scouting Report: Dolis reminds scouts of Marmol, and the similarities became more striking when Dolis became a full-time reliever in 2011. He can make hitters look silly with a 93-100 mph fastball with heavy sink and a mid-80s slider with hard bite. His stuff should have played up in shorter stints, but Dolis' strikeout rate dipped to a career-low 5.9 per nine innings. That's because he focused so much on his command, his biggest shortcoming, that he pounded the bottom of the strike zone and generated groundouts rather than strikeouts. He has a clean, high three-quarters delivery that gives him good downward plane with his pitches, but he still needs to throw more strikes. The Future: A potential closer if he improves his command, Dolis made his major league debut in late September. He figures to get some Triple-A experience at the start of 2012.