The Rockies, in need of arms that can help change the course of the organization, are going to see what they’ve got in a first-round pick.
Colorado called up right-hander Gabriel Hughes to join the team ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Marlins at Coors Field. Hughes, the No. 10 overall pick out of Gonzaga in 2022, will debut out of the Rockies’ bullpen.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, Hughes missed the 2024 season and returned to pitch in the Arizona Fall League that year. He features a low-90s fastball, plus a changeup, curveball and slider. Hughes said at the time of his return from Tommy John that “my goal is to make it so I can’t be ignored,” and now Hughes will get a chance to do that in a big-league uniform.
This season, Hughes has a 5.31 ERA in 9 games (7 starts) in Triple-A Albuquerque, though he’s been lights out lately. Hughes has allowed no earned runs through his last three starts for the Isotopes, with 16 strikeouts over 15 2/3 innings. He was added to Colorado’s 40-man roster last November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, a move that signaled his arrival in LoDo was imminent.
Hughes’ fastball, which registered in the upper-90s at Gonzaga, hasn’t returned to what it was pre-Tommy John. But Hughes told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that he’s not concerned about the velocity dip.
“This year, I’ve been able to go out and get better numbers than I did last year, and better than I did the years before, so I don’t think it’s the end-all be-all,” Hughes said. “If I was constantly trying to chase who I was before surgery, I would really be miserable. I would be constantly trying to become who I was four years ago, instead of accepting and understanding where I’m at today, and working to maximize that.”
Across four minor-league seasons, Hughes has a 4.83 ERA in 50 games (48 starts). When he debuts, he will be the eighth Colorado player to debut this season, and the 13th Alaskan-born player to play in majors.
As the Rockies have gone pitching-heavy over recent drafts, Hughes is one arm that Colorado hopes can help them find more stability on the mound.
Other notable first-round pitchers as of late include right-hander Chase Dollander, who debuted last year and is currently on the 60-day injured list after undergoing internal brace surgery on his elbow on June 22, as well as right-hander Brody Brecht. The No. 38 overall pick out of Iowa in 2024, Brecht has a 5.23 ERA in 7 starts for High-A Spokane this year.
In a corresponding move to Hughes’ promotion, the Rockies designated right-handed reliever John Brebbia for assignment. Brebbia, a 9-year big-league veteran, had a 10.38 ERA in three games for Colorado this season.
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