Perhaps part of the solution to the Rockies’ biggest problem is now right in front of them.
The early returns on Gabriel Hughes’ first two big-league starts are promising as Colorado looks to solve its startling lack of starting pitching depth. The rookie right-hander debuted with three scoreless innings of relief against the Giants on July 3, then followed that with a quality start at the Dodgers on July 8 and five-plus innings of two run ball against the Reds on Friday at Coors Field.
Hughes’ 13 strikeouts are tied for the second-most Ks by a Colorado pitcher through his first two career starts, and Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer likes what he sees so far.
“I thought Gabe for a second big-league start could show it all,” Schaeffer said following Friday’s outing. “We’re seeing that he has a really good fastball movement-wise, and he attacks strength zone with that.
“… There’s a lot to love there with how he carries himself. It’s a really difficult environment when you first get to the big leagues and you’re making your first two starts after putting in a lot of time in the minor leagues. So for him to show the confidence out there in the mound, it’s a big deal.”
Hughes’ arrival in the majors came following a bumpy road in the minors after he was drafted No. 10 overall out of Gonzaga in 2022.
He had Tommy John surgery in 2023, then returned to the mound for the Arizona Fall League in 2024, but didn’t pitch well there with a 8.31 ERA over six starts. But he looked good in Double-A last season, with a 3.07 ERA in 9 games to earn a promotion to Triple-A.
Hughes’ fastball average is 93.1 mph, a drop-off from high-90s pre-surgery levels, but he’s making up for that lack of heat with 6.9 feet of extension from the rubber which is 88th percentile in the majors. That can make his fastball appear faster, and his ability to manipulate fastball movement (Hughes averages 9.7 inches of induced vertical movement on the pitch) is helping him limit barrels (only 2.7%) through his small MLB sample size.
The mid-game tinkering Hughes has been able to make so far with his top offspeed pitches, the sweeper and slider, has also been promising.
“I’m getting a better idea (on how the sweeper works at Coors Field),” Hughes said. “Being able to make the adjustment quicker… and being able to come back with that pitch effectively (on Friday), even though I’d missed with it earlier, was a really good sign.”
Since the start of the 2023 season — as the Rockies have accumulated more losses than any other franchise — the club has attempted to fill in its rotation with C-list veterans due to its dearth of homegrown big-league starters. This year, that meant signing Michael Lorenzen, Tomoyuki Sugano and Jose Quintana. Other notable recent Colorado starters that fit this description were Cal Quantrill and Dakota Hudson in ’24, and Chase Anderson and Chris Flexen in ’23.
Filling in significant gaps in the rotation with scrap-heap free agents isn’t a long-term strategy for success, hence why Hughes’ potential is all the more important going forward. If he can be an effective big-league starter — and if Chase Dollander can live up to ace expectations in his return from this year’s season-ending elbow surgery — that duo would go a long way to shortening the load time for the Rockies to be competitive again.
Prior to drafting Dollander (No. 9 overall in 2023) and Hughes, the Rockies whiffed on four straight dating back to 2015: Ryan Rolison, Riley Pint, Robert Tyler and Mike Nikorak. Colorado’s most recent first-round arm, 2024 No. 38 overall pick Brody Brecht, is currently in High-A.
