Mariners wrap up 2020 draft with Cal Poly RHP Taylor Dollard

The Mariners went 50-50 in their 2020 draft class in terms of selecting pitchers and hitters, capping off the two-day event by taking Cal Poly right-handed pitcher Taylor Dollard.

Mariners draft tracker: Full list of every M’s pick plus details

Dollard, 21, was MLB Pipeline’s 184th overall draft prospect and the Mariners used the 137th pick in the draft to add him to the organization.

Standing 6 foot 3 and weighing 195 pounds, Dollard used four pitches during his time at Cal Poly according to his MLB Pipeline profile, starting with a fastball that sits in the high-80s to low-90s, occasionally touching as high as 93 MPH and it reportedly has some good sink and movement to it. Dollard also mixes in a slider and changeup, which both grade out at 50 on the 20-80 scale, and 50 is considered an average MLB tool. His curveball isn’t quite as good as his other three offerings.

Control is the name of the game for Dollard, as he grades at 55 on the scale with his command, which is considered above average overall.

The tall and athletic pitcher had a successful three-year career at Cal Poly, going 9-0 with a 2.43 ERA. He was a reliever in his freshman and sophomore campaigns before getting a chance to start during the brief 2020 season. In four starts this year, Dollard went 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA in 27 innings. He struck out 36 batters compared to just four walks in 2020, and overall, Dollard struck out 121 while walking 27 in 111.1 career innings.

Dollard joins first-round pick Emerson Hancock, who played at Georgia, and second-round pick Connor Phillips, a junior college standout from Texas, as pitchers that Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto took in the five-round draft this year. All three are right-handed pitchers and while Hancock and Phillips are both guys with high velocity, Dollard is more of a command and crafty pitcher, making him a much different prospect than the other two.

Those three join second-round pick Zach DeLoach, an outfielder from Texas A&M, Oklahoma State second baseman Kaden Polcovich, who went in the third round, and fourth-round selection Tyler Keenan, a big third baseman from Ole Miss, as Seattle’s 2020 draft class.

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