In the 2022 MLB Draft, only two pitchers came off the board in the first ten picks: Kumar Rocker and Gabriel Hughes. Coming out of Gonzaga, Hughes looked to be the best college arm in the draft, so the Colorado Rockies took him with the 10th overall pick and handed him a $4 million signing bonus.
Since then, Hughes has not had the smooth minor league career that was expected of him, but after a few years of struggles and injuries, the 6’4″ right-hander has finally received a promotion to the big league club.
The Long Journey to the MLB for Gabriel Hughes
Following his sophomore season at Gonzaga, in which he posted a 3.23 ERA over 61.1 innings, Hughes became a name of note in MLB scouting circles. In his junior season, Hughes became more than just a note; he instead became a main attraction, racking up 138 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .209 average in a career-high 98 innings.
Upon being drafted, Hughes made one three-inning outing in A-Ball before being shut down until the 2023 campaign. Entering his first full season with the Rockies, MLB Pipeline had Hughes tabbed as the organization’s 6th-ranked prospect. Starting the year in High-A, the right-hander made eight starts and, over 37.2 innings, posted a 5.50 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 15 walks. Those numbers were enough for Hughes to get promoted to Double-A, where he struggled to a 7.14 ERA and .286 batting average allowed in six starts and 29 innings.
After those six starts, Hughes was diagnosed with a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery, forcing him to miss the rest of the 2023 season and all of the ’24 season. Following his rehab, Hughes entered the 2025 season ranked #16 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 prospect list for the Rockies. Aside from one rehab appearance in the ACL, the Rockies farmhand would make nine starts in Double-A Hartford, where he posted a 3.58 FIP and 3.11 xFIP, enough for Colorado to send him to Triple-A for the first time.
In his 14 starts in Albuquerque, Hughes would struggle to adjust to the PCL, pitching to a 5.81 FIP and .277 batting average allowed in 61.2 innings. The former Top-10 pick remained the Rockies’ #16 prospect heading into this season, needing a big turnaround to get his career trajectory back on track.
Well, after dealing with an early-season oblique injury, the former Gonzaga Bulldog has managed to do just that. Between his last five starts between Double-A and Triple-A, Hughes did not allow an earned run, holding opposing teams to just six hits across the 21.2 innings. With that, Colorado decided it was time for their former first-round pick to bring his talents to the big leagues.
Gabriel Hughes’ Role for the Rockies
Despite starting seven of his nine Triple-A outings, Hughes is expected to begin his MLB career in the bullpen. Colorado’s bullpen can certainly use all the help they can get in that department, as according to FanGraphs, they rank 30th in hard-hit percentage allowed (44.6%), 24th in xFIP (4.73), and 20th in BB/9 (4.04) over the last 30 days. While Hughes may not be the strikeout artist he once seemed to be out of college, he has at least proven he can minimize free passes and keep opposing lineups on the ground.
As far as his pitch mix goes, Hughes likes to work four-seam, sinker, and sweeper to right-handed hitters, and four-seam, change-up, and curveball to lefties primarily. According to ProspectSavant, among his pitches, Hughes’ sweeper has the best Stuff+, but in terms of spin, it is slightly below league average in the MLB.
Velocity-wise, Hughes’ fastball averaged 92.6 MPH in Triple-A this season. Still, while he won’t be overpowering anyone at the MLB level, his ability to miss barrels could help his role with the team expand. Among pitchers who threw 250 pitches in Triple-A this season, Hughes ranked in the 88th percentile in barrel percentage allowed (2.7%). If he can produce for the Rockies like that, he could certainly earn spot starts in the rotation after a few weeks.
Main Photo Credits: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
