With the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, the Colorado Rockies selected a right-handed pitcher out of Gonzaga named Gabriel Hughes.
According to the pre-draft prognostications, the Rockies were taking a chance on Hughes who wasn’t slated to go for at least a dozen more picks. But the Rockies wanted, and got, their guy.
The doubters had some early evidence in their favor as well. Hughes posted a rough 6.21 ERA in 2023 over his first 66.2 IP as a pro. Then news got worse. Hughes missed the end ’23 and all of 2024 with the dreaded Tommy John surgery. By the time 2025 rolled around, much of the prospect evaluating world had forgotten about Hughes.
He began the year in Double-A and immediately looked like a guy worthy of a Top 10 pick. For the Yardgoats of Hartford he posted a 3.07 ERA to earn the call up to Triple-A. As is tradition, his introduction to the PCL was an ugly one and he spent the last few months of last season fighting. And by the end of it, he appeared to be winning that fight.
After a solid showing in Spring Training, Hughes put himself in position for a 2026 MLB call-up. On the third of July against the San Francisco Giants, he made his debut and almost immediately became the most intriguing pitcher on the roster to watch. Now with some great, and a couple of rough starts under his belt, he is looking to achieve maybe the most difficult part of the MLB journey. Staying.
He also becomes the latest to take our 2026 Colorado Rockies Player Survey:
What’s the most important part of your game day prep? (Meal? Workout? Listening to music?)
GH: Probably some mental preparation. Watching a video of some of my pitches, doing some mental imagery work, just kind of getting dialed mentally before I go out and perform physically.
DC: How do you balance between getting hyped up and getting calmed down or zen?
GH: The closer I get to the game, it’s more hype. Before that, it’s kind of like chill and relax. But the closer I get to the game, the more focused and intense I want to be.
What’s your ideal road trip off day?
GH: Going to the movies. Almost guaranteed every single off day and every single day game that I have the opportunity I will be at the movies.
DC: OK what so do you have a go to genre? Are you watching everything?
GH: Everything. I love everything. I already have tickets for The Odyssey tomorrow. That looks awesome.
What is your favorite play that you’ve ever made at any level?
GH: Last Spring Training, 2025, I had a broken bat kind of flare over my head and I kind of made an over the shoulder catch in the infield. That was pretty cool. I really enjoyed that one.
What’s your favorite play that you’ve ever seen? (You have to have been in the park, not on TV.)
GH: Last year in Hartford, in the same inning, we were on defense and there was a ground ball to third base. It hit off the third baseman’s glove. The shortstop caught it, threw it to first base for the out. Then the next half inning, Portland did the same thing, the same exact play in the same inning. It was the craziest thing. I’ve never seen it before. It happened twice in the same inning.
DC: Baseball is amazing.
Finally, do you have a favorite baseball quote? (Could be from a movie coach, teammate, parents.)
Probably the one I quote the most often is Yogi Berra. “Baseball is 90% physical and half his mental.”