Rockies take righty pitcher 10th overall
Hughes was 8-3 with a 3.21 ERA for Gonzaga this year, and finished ninth in the nation with 138 strikeouts
For Gabriel Hughes, getting hit by a pitch on his throwing hand was one of the best things to happen to his baseball career.
Hughes, Colorado’s top overall pick in this year’s draft, was drilled on his right hand last year, ending a season in which he showed promise as a two-way player for Gongaza. But that injury also led Hughes to focus only on pitching and eventually led to the Rockies selecting him No. 10 overall on Sunday.
“After (last) season, at my exit meeting with the coaches, from both sides of the table it was a mutual feeling where I wanted to focus on pitching, and they wanted me to focus on pitching,” Hughes recalled. “I’ve seen enormous benefits in the first full year I’ve only focused on pitching… I’ve learned so much from even last summer to this spring.”
This year, Hughes was one of the top-rated college pitchers entering the draft. The 6-foot-4 right-hander was 8-3 with a 3.21 ERA, and ranked ninth in the country with 138 strikeouts to just 37 walks. The former first baseman throws a mid-to-high90s fastball, plus a curveball/ slider and a changeup, which needs refinement.
“(We liked) the size, the athleticism, the durability, his age, the pitch mix,” Rockies head amateur scout Marc Gustafson said. “He’s a strike-thrower with an aggressive mindset and he knows how to attack hitters. He took the ball every Friday night (for Gonzaga), so we know that the durability is there.”
The Rockies have been high on Hughes since last summer when they got an up-close look at the pitcher during his time with Team USA. Rockies’ special assistant to scouting and player development Jerry Weinstein was Hughes’ manager on the Collegiate National Team, and Colorado followed Hughes closely through his 2022 season.
Gustafson said he saw a pitcher that “really honed his craft by committing to be a pitcher only.”
The Rockies have been high on Hughes since last summer when they got an up-close look at the pitcher during his time with Team USA. Rockies’ special assistant to scouting and player development Jerry Weinstein was Hughes’ manager on the Collegiate National Team, and Colorado followed Hughes closely through his 2022 season.
Gustafson said he saw a pitcher that “really honed his craft by committing to be a pitcher only.”
The Rockies haven’t yet set a plan for Hughes this summer.
That decision will come in consultation with the team’s pitching coordinators.
Hughes took about a month off following the conclusion of Gonzaga’s season but has been ramping back up, and if he does make his pro debut this year, it’s likely to be with Low-a Fresno, followed by the fall instructional league in Arizona.
The slot value of the No. 10 overall pick is $4.98 million.
Hughes is the first righthander selected in the first round by the Rockies since Riley Pint at No. 4 overall in 2016.
Colorado also selected right-hander Robert Tyler with the No. 38 overall pick in that year’s first round; Pint still hasn’t reached the majors, while Tyler retired.
Hughes, a two-time Gatorade player of the year at Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian, Idaho, said he’s “ready for the challenge” of the expectations that he’ll one day be a centerpiece in the rotation at Coors Field.
And he’s counting on his demeanor to help get him there.
“I’m going to keep throwing punches no matter how it’s going,” he said. “That competitive fire is something I bring to the mound every game.”
Hughes also said he’s open to making adjustments necessary to his delivery, which some critics see as over-complicated.
“I know I’ve always had a really high leg kick, and some (coaches) in the past think I’ve had a really jerky motion,” Hughes said. “So I’ve tried to quiet that down. But (my delivery) just speaks to my attitude on the mound. It’s very violent, it’s very aggressive. Up to this point, I haven’t had too many people try to tinker with it, but going forward I’m open to any and all changes. I want to be the best pitcher I can for this organization.”