The journey to Major League Baseball (MLB) is a challenging one, filled with countless hours of practice, dedication, and a bit of luck. For two brothers from Orange, Texas, that dream is becoming a reality. Chad Dallas, a former West Orange-Stark pitcher, and his brother Jack Dallas are both making their mark in professional baseball. This article delves into their unique stories, highlighting their achievements, challenges, and the special bond they share.
Chad Dallas: From West Orange-Stark to the Toronto Blue Jays Organization
Chad Dallas's journey began in his backyard, learning the game from his dad alongside his brother Jack. He starred for West Orange-Stark High School, helping the team reach the state semifinals as a freshman. By his senior season, Dallas hit .410, only allowed four earned runs the entire season, and was named Orange County’s Most Valuable Player.
After graduating, Dallas attended Panola College, a junior college in Carthage, Texas. He was completely dominant in his one season with the Ponies, going 5-0 with a 1.15 ERA while striking out 71 batters in just 39 innings pitched. His performance at Panola led to Division I offers. He eventually committed to the University of Tennessee.
While he was a standout high school pitcher for the Mustangs, Dallas said his vision of working toward the major leagues truly came to life when he committed to the University of Tennessee. In 2021, Dallas ranked sixth in the nation in wins, going 11-2 and posting a 4.19 ERA in 17 starts. He also led the Volunteers with 122 strikeouts, which ranked sixth in the program’s long history.
After his second season at Tennessee, Dallas was selected by the Blue Jays in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft. Dallas headed to Dunedin after the draft for his first taste of professional baseball. Dallas is in his third professional season.
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“You don’t think about it as much when you’re doing it - but when you get asked, it truly is a dream to be doing this,” Dallas said. “You’re still trying to fight for it to come true, but it’s truly amazing to even be where I’m at right now and have been where this game has taken me."
“It’s a really good feeling to get called up,” Dallas said. “I just tried to keep it simple and play the same game that got me up to this level.”
The fruits of his labor are starting to show, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Dallas said he’s always working on his changeup and has recently added a cutter to his pitch repertoire. “I went through a struggle phase last year where I wasn’t pitching well,” Dallas said. “A big lesson I learned from that is to not worry about the things you can’t control. “You just have to enjoy the grind and the little things that happen, and then let the promotion accomplishments happen on their own.
Dallas's pitching arsenal consists of a four-seam fastball, cutter, slider, curveball, an occasional changeup - and a sinker, which he just added this spring.
“I think it has helped a lot with, especially righties,” he said of his new sinker. “Just getting some to go into a righty or maybe even away from the lefty since the changeup has been somewhat of a struggle. I’ve been using it (the sinker) a decent amount. It's definitely not my go to pitch, but it's something to get into a hitter’s head. When you throw it for strikes, it's something that they have to respect. So that's kind of the plan we had for it was just give a hitter something else to think about. I think it's definitely helped me out.”
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He considers his slider and cutter to be his best two pitches. He developed his slider while at Tennessee.
It’s easy to assume that a pitcher nicknamed “Cheese” earned the moniker from the slang term for a fastball - but Bisons starting pitcher Chad Dallas’s nickname has nothing to do with baseball. Instead, it's based on a favorite childhood cartoon character.
“It goes back to when I was anywhere from six to eight years old,” Dallas said in a recent interview with The Herd Chronicles. “It’s from ‘A Goofy Movie,’ where Pauly Shore voices over a character named Bobby - who I thought was the cool kid in the movie. He carried around a can of spray cheese and did this thing where he goes, ‘Cheddar, aoooo,’ and then sprays it down his mouth. I thought he was the cool kid, so I would do that around the house. It started out as Cheddar and then just slowly moved to Cheese. My parents don’t even call me Chad anymore. Cheese is all I hear and I’m used to it.”
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Jack Dallas: From Lamar University to the Philadelphia Phillies Organization
RHP Jack Dallas signed as an undrafted free agent 8/1/22. Former West Orange-Stark and Lamar University athlete Jack Dallas of Orange signed a free agent contract last week with the Philadelphia Phillies as a pitcher. He ended his career at Lamar this year by setting a school record for the most saves.
Jack went to Lamar as a two-sport player. While at West Orange-Stark, he was quarterback on the football team and led the Mustangs to two state championships. He also played baseball and was on the Mustang team that went to the state tournament. He played football his freshman year at Lamar but decided to concentrate on baseball. This spring, he ended the season with 14 saves in 41.2 innings and had a 1.94 ERA.
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Jack had an outstanding season out of the bullpen - in 42 appearances (65.1 IP) between Clearwater and Jersey Shore he recorded a stellar 1.79 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 23 walks, a .206 batting average against and a 1.10 WHIP. Jack had a strike ratio of 61 % and averaged 16.07 pitches per innings pitched. At Clearwater he posted a minuscule 0.60 ERA in 19 games (30 IP) with a 1.23 WHIP, he was promoted to Jersey Shore on 6/13/23 and recorded a. 2.80 ERA in 23 appearances (35.1 IP) with a WHIP of 0.99 and a BAA of .188. Over the course of the season he had seven holds and seven saves. Also pitched in two playoff games for Jersey Shore (4.1 IP) and didn’t allow a run and only one hit.
Was often deployed in inherited runner situations as a strike thrower who gets after the hitters, also pitched more than an inning in 28 of his appearances. He came to pro ball as no stranger to high pressure game spots as he graduated from Lamar as their all-time leader in saves and appearances. His fastball, a sinker, generally is in the 91 to 94 range and he also features a cutter, slider, curve and change up. Gets tremendous spin/movement on his cutter and curve in particular, above the big league average. The movement on those pitches makes it very difficult for hitters to square them up which was reflected in the cumulative batting average against him this season. Is a great competitor and shows excellent composure in high impact game situations. He reminds me a great deal of Mark Leiter Jr in build, moxie and approach.
“The Phillies make winning a priority and that can elevate both the team and your game. My biggest off-season focus is being more in the zone with off speed and getting my K/9 up.”
Role versatility is another strength as he showed the ability to turn lineup over with success out of the bullpen. Multiple innings pitcher with excellent recovery to repeat performances. Great teammate and fearless.”
2024 Projection : should be in the mix for an opening day roster spot with Reading this spring.
A Brotherly Bond
Chad Dallas is one of many Southeast Texas talents on the journey to the MLB. However, he has a special relationship with another local pitcher. Dallas and his brother’s spring training facilities were located ten minutes away from each other, and he said it was a blessing for friends and family to come watch them play. “If you look at the numbers, the chance of us actually doing this is very slim,” he said. “Getting to be a fan and watch my brother is really awesome. I’ve looked up to him my whole life.
His younger brother, Chad, also a pitcher, was drafted last year by the Toronto Blue Jays and is currently playing in the team's minor league farm system. The brothers are the sons of Tony and Nancy Dallas of Orange.
Comparison of 2023 Season Stats: Jack Dallas
The table below provides a snapshot of Jack Dallas's impressive performance during the 2023 season.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| ERA | 1.79 |
| Strikeouts | 69 |
| Walks | 23 |
| Batting Average Against (BAA) | .206 |
| WHIP | 1.10 |
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