Taylor Dollard Continues Fight To The Big Leagues During Meaningful 2026 Season
September 29, 2026 — EVERETT, Wash.: To say that the professional baseball career of Everett AquaSox pitcher and Seattle Mariners prospect Taylor Dollard has been a rollercoaster ride would be an understatement. Leading into 2026, Dollard had an offseason conversation with a friend after having thoughts of not playing anymore.
September 29, 2026 — EVERETT, Wash.: To say that the professional baseball career of Everett AquaSox pitcher and Seattle Mariners prospect Taylor Dollard has been a rollercoaster ride would be an understatement.
Leading into 2026, Dollard had an offseason conversation with a friend after having thoughts of not playing anymore. His friend questioned him about his health and how his arm felt to help him evaluate his future in the simplest terms: Is your body strong enough to keep going?
The conversation led Dollard to a simple one-word answer to his friend’s questions: Yes. Along with that answer, he brought forth a perspective of gratitude, recognizing that many would strive to even have a chance at continuing their career regardless of the circumstances.
“There are so many people that would kill to be in my shoes — injury and all of it — and to me, it’s one of those things where I can’t stop until I’m told enough is enough,” Dollard said.
Drafted by the Mariners in the fifth round (No. 137 overall) in the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Cal Poly, Dollard rose to star prospect status quickly. Within two years of being drafted, the right-hander from Sherman Oaks, California, had already reached the Double-A level, earning 2022 Texas League Pitcher of the Year honors with the Arkansas Travelers.
During that season, Dollard was one of the best pitchers not just in the Mariners’ system but in all of Minor League Baseball. Just 23 years old, he went 16-2 with a 2.25 earned run average, striking out 131 batters in 144.0 innings of work across 27 starts. If you did not know Dollard from his performance that ultimately landed him a ranking as Seattle’s No. 9 prospect for the 2023 season, then you definitely knew him from his signature flowing blonde hair.
Coming off of his best season, 2023 was destined to be a building block for a promotion to the major leagues. Dollard’s 2022 efforts earned him a promotion to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, making their 2023 Opening Day Roster, while positioning himself for a great opportunity to keep building from the momentum he sparked in Arkansas.
Dollard’s shoulder had other plans, though.
His 2023 season was derailed after only 8.1 innings of work across just three starts. Feeling discomfort in his shoulder, Dollard underwent various evaluations, ultimately learning that he tore his labrum in his throwing shoulder. Undergoing surgery for his injury, Dollard was held out of competition for over two years, not returning to a mound during a game until May 7, 2025.
Healthy enough to pitch again for a full-season affiliate, Dollard was assigned to the AquaSox from the Arizona Complex League Mariners on June 11, 2025. That same day he appeared out of Everett’s bullpen, spinning 2.1 scoreless innings against the Tri-City Dust Devils at Everett Memorial Stadium while earning his first pitching win since 2022. It was also Dollard’s first appearance with the High-A ballclub since 2021.
That game is one of the most meaningful games Dollard has ever pitched in. After over two years of injury rehab to get back on the field, proving his health was a wave of emotions in itself. Having his beloved mom in the crowd to cheer him on — without him even knowing until after the game — was another.
“That was one of the first games I had pitched — one, from injury, and two, from my grandfather passing, so there was a whole lot of emotion for me that day. When I got pulled from the game, I was already a mess because I couldn't hold it anymore. It was two full years of work just to be on the field no matter what it looked like,” Dollard said. “I was hit with that wave [of emotion], and I finally pulled myself together in the dugout and was ready to go celebrate with the boys only to see [my mom] there. And I just lost it again. She's always been a fighter, she's always been a beast, and she's one of the best women in my life.”
There’s no feeling better than Mom coming to the ballpark to surprise you!
— Everett AquaSox (@EverettAquaSox) June 12, 2025
Taylor Dollard’s Mom visited Everett tonight, cheering on her son as he works his way back from a torn labrum suffered in 2023.
Dollard threw 2.1 innings, striking out two while allowing no hits 🥹 pic.twitter.com/QpwMNjxPvh
Finishing the remainder of 2025 with Everett, Dollard compiled a 3.90 earned run average and a 3-3 record while throwing 55.1 innings across 13 appearances (12 starts). Along with proving his health, he was able to build even further mental resilience, reinforcing his commitment to the game while finding perspective that he could carry with him into 2026. While acknowledging that the mental side of the sport can have its challenging moments, Dollard also recognized the positives of staying rooted where you are.
“I think showing up, especially in rehab, is really hard. Sometimes your body just doesn't feel good or you're not seeing the progress that you want to see, and it can be really hard to get yourself out of bed to go. Some days you're trying — just spinning in the mud — and you're not getting any progress, and the other days you're making huge leaps and bounds,” Dollard said. “To me, showing up is just being where your feet are, and I think that you could take that into baseball too. If you're pitching today, are you where your feet are? Are you thinking about the guys in AA or are you thinking about the big leagues?”
Again returning to Everett, Dollard completed a nearly full campaign in 2026, missing just one scheduled start which fell during the final week of the season. In 21 games (20 starts), Dollard pitched to a 5.59 earned run average in 93.1 innings of work, collecting 81 strikeouts. His second half was especially hot — across his final 10 starts, Dollard allowed two earned runs or fewer on seven occasions. Working with a high-80s fastball and a lethal curveball that sits in the mid-to-high 60s, Dollard gives credit to AquaSox Pitching Coach Bryan Pall for helping him become a dominant strike-thrower again.
“I was getting back to the way I know how to pitch and that's basically attacking the strike zone. It was usage stuff like using more fastballs early in counts, using my cutter better, making the slider more of a weapon, and making the curveball more of a weapon. The changeup as well,” Dollard said. “Even if the velocity [on the fastball] is not 99 mph, it's still a really good pitch that I can utilize [in the strike zone] to set up the rest of my stuff.”
“He's just attacking the zone more, attacking the heart [of the plate] early in the count, and finishing his at-bats,” Pall said. “For Taylor, it's more just enjoying this, being back on the field, and pitching free — not feeling like he has to prove something to anyone. He had to go through hell and back to get here, and he's just enjoying being a baseball player again.”
Along with developing his pitching skillset, Dollard also made tremendous growth as a leader. Highly-regarded by his coaching staff and fellow pitchers on the team, Dollard has brought value beyond the rubber, even being likened to having an additional coach on the team.
“First and foremost, I want to give a ton of credit to Taylor. Not just the teammate, but the human being that he is,” AquaSox Manager Ryan Scott said. “Taylor has been extremely pivotal for this group — especially for the young pitchers that we have. The leadership skills and just the human being that he is have been a driving force for why we’ve had some success this year.”
“I try to listen to everything he has to tell me because I know there is a lot of wisdom in there. He has really helped me with understanding how to go about a professional season — it is a long season with 120 innings to throw so I can’t let one or two innings bog me down,” AquaSox pitcher Colton Shaw said. “He has been one of the better mentors I’ve had. As a pitcher, he has helped me understand the game and pitch sequencing. He’ll help me watch the game and really understand how to dissect it, and I like sitting next to him on the bench. We’ll look at a pitcher, talk about him a little bit, and see his strengths and weaknesses. He’s really good at getting to the bottom of what makes a pitcher good and that’s very applicable to what I’m trying to do every day when I’m on the mound.”
Asked what it means to him to be viewed as a leader within the clubhouse by his peers after all of what he’s battled through, Dollard was struck with a wave of emotions.
“It's an honor. I've worked really hard on and off of the field, and it just feels good. I've been all around pro ball at the really highs of highs and the lows of lows. I do think that I take pride in being [a leader] around here, especially for the younger guys because I've been in their shoes,” Dollard said. “I've stared at the ceiling until 4:00 a.m. wondering what's going on. I've had moments where I'm unhittable and I'm one of the best players in the organization so I think being able to relay just even a little bit of [that experience] means a lot to me. And as time's gone on, I've realized that it's not all about me. It's not all about what I do — it's about how I can help other guys get there.”
Reflecting upon the journey of baseball as a whole and where it has taken him, Dollard concluded that throughout the trials and tribulations of injury, bouncing between affiliates, and learning to trust his body again, he came out a stronger person.
“As a person, it has changed me in a very good way. I think that one, it humbled me a lot, and then two, it has also been one of those things that truly tested me mentally. Showing up every day isn't easy and that doesn't get talked about very much. The mental side of rehab, the physical side — all of it. There's so much work that goes in besides just being able to throw. Honestly, part of it that I'm so proud of is that I showed up every day,” Dollard said. “It's just helped me grow a lot and helped me realize that I am more than a baseball player. I have life outside of baseball. As a pitcher — to that side of it — I would say it's just made me appreciate [the sport] a lot more.”
“It sucks when the ball gets taken out of your hand and I wouldn't wish that on anybody but at the end of the day, it does make you appreciate the bad outings. I do remember there was a point in rehab where I was joking that I would do anything to go out and give up 15 runs in the first inning and I would take that over being in rehab every day,” Dollard said. “It just made me grow to appreciate the good days and the bad days because the good days you build off of and you continue to roll, and the bad days you learn and you can continue to get better that way too.”
Similar to how Dollard referred to his mom as a fighter, Scott echoed that Dollard is just like his mom: One who never views themself as out of the fight, and that being a fighter will carry oneself far.
“I think Taylor understands and embraces that he is never out of the fight. That fight right now is pushing himself through his career, and he knows that he is never out of that as long as he has a uniform on and can lace up his spikes once a week to make his start,” Scott said. “He knows he still has a chance, he embraces that, and he helps portray that to the rest of the group as well.”
“As long as he can toe the rubber, he has a chance to give somebody six or seven innings,” Scott said. “Ultimately, he’ll help himself get to the big leagues.”
PICTURED ABOVE: Taylor Dollard
PHOTO BY: Evan Morud
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