Gabriel Alexander Hughes (born August 22, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Colorado Rockies organization.
| Gabriel Hughes | |
|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: August 22, 2001 Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Amateur career
editHughes attended Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian, Idaho. In 2018, his junior year, he had a 7–1 win–loss record with a 1.84 earned run average (ERA) and 59 strikeouts while batting .461. He was named the Idaho Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.[1] As a senior in 2019, he went 7–1 with a 0.95 ERA and 65 strikeouts alongside batting .365 with seven home runs and was named the Idaho Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for the second straight season.[2][3] That summer, he played in the West Coast League for the Bellingham Bells.[4] Unselected in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at Gonzaga University to play college baseball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
As a freshman at Gonzaga in 2020, Hughes posted a 0.77 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 13+2⁄3 innings before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] He spent the summer playing in the Northwoods League for the Great Lakes Resorters.[6] In 2021, as a redshirt freshman, he started ten games and went 4–3 with a 3.23 ERA and 67 strikeouts over 61+1⁄3 innings while also starting 31 games at first base, batting .247 with three home runs.[7] His season ended early after breaking a knuckle while batting.[8] That summer, he was selected to play for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.[9] Hughes entered the 2022 season as a preseason All-American and Gonzaga's number one starter.[10][11][12] He also switched his focus solely to pitching after being a two-way player in previous seasons.[13][14] He started 15 games over the course of the season and went 8–3 with a 3.21 ERA and 138 strikeouts over 98 innings.[15] Following the season's end, he traveled to San Diego where he participated in the Draft Combine.[16]
Professional career
editThe Colorado Rockies selected Hughes in the first round with the tenth overall selection of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[17] He signed with the team for $4 million.[18] He made his professional debut with the Fresno Grizzlies of the Single-A California League with whom he made one appearance, pitching three scoreless innings.[19] To open the 2023 season, Hughes was assigned to the Spokane Indians of the High-A Northwest League.[20] In early June, he was promoted to the Hartford Yard Goats of the Double-A Eastern League.[21] In July, it was announced Hughes would be undergoing Tommy John surgery, thus ending his season.[22] Over 14 starts between the two teams, he went 6–5 with a 6.21 ERA and 83 strikeouts over 66+2⁄3 innings.[23]
Personal life
editHughes's grandfather, Donald, played in the minor leagues for the Detroit Tigers.[24] Hughes has five siblings, four of whom are adopted.[25]
References
edit- ^ Lycklama, Michael (June 12, 2018). "Junior 'dual threat' named Idaho's best high school baseball player". Idaho Statesman.
- ^ Walton, Brandon (June 6, 2019). "BASEBALL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Gabriel Hughes, Rocky Mountain". The Idaho Press.
- ^ Allsop, Dani (May 23, 2019). "Rocky Mountain senior Gabe Hughes wins second Gatorade Player of the Year award". KTVB.
- ^ "Knights baseball: Corvallis signs Gonzaga star". Corvallis Gazette-Times. November 13, 2019.
- ^ "2021 West Coast Conference College Baseball Preview". Baseball America. February 5, 2021.
- ^ Atnip, Jake (July 3, 2020). "Resorters rout Dune Bears for franchise's first win". Traverse City Record-Eagle.
- ^ Pontes, Geoff (January 31, 2021). "Future Four: High-Slot College Righthanders To Know (Vol. 4)". Baseball America.
- ^ ""Simply a competitor": Gonzaga pitcher Gabriel Hughes emerging as star". KREM. April 4, 2022.
- ^ Gilbert, Connor (July 3, 2021). "GU's Hughes Makes First Appearance for U.S. Collegiate National Team". Gonzaga Bulldogs Athletics.
- ^ "Locally: Gonzaga pitching duo Gabriel Hughes, William Kempner named to preseason All-America team". The Spokesman-Review. January 25, 2022.
- ^ Conmy, Tommy (February 15, 2022). "Gabriel Hughes brings the heat as the Bulldogs' right-hand man". The Gonzaga Bulletin.
- ^ Sommerfeld, Seth (March 31, 2022). "After months of elite-level play on the road, Gonzaga baseball comes home to make a College World Series push". Inlander.
- ^ Reed, Justin (February 17, 2022). "Gonzaga baseball, picked to finish first in WCC, to rely on defense in 2022". Yakima Herald-Republic.
- ^ Green, Travis (April 4, 2022). "Pitcher Gabriel Hughes' star continues to rise in Gonzaga". KREM.
- ^ "Gonzaga pitcher Gabriel Hughes named to Collegiate Baseball All-American first team | the Spokesman-Review".
- ^ "Everything you need to know: Draft Combine". MLB.com.
- ^ "Rockies select RHP Hughes 10th overall". MLB.com.
- ^ Idaho Statesman (subscription required)
- ^ "Pebble Report: Fresno Grizzlies fall short in CAL championship, Brenton Doyle impresses in Triple-A debut". September 26, 2022.
- ^ "Where the Rockies' Top 30 prospects are starting season". MLB.com.
- ^ "Former Gonzaga pitcher Gabriel Hughes promoted from Spokane Indians to Double-A Hartford | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ "3 Rockies pitching prospects set for Tommy John". ESPN.com. July 25, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ "Rockies' Gabriel Hughes: Undergoing Tommy John surgery". CBSSports.com. July 24, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ "Gabriel Hughes – Baseball". Gonzaga Bulldogs Athletics.
- ^ Villa, Walter (March 18, 2022). "GSA Spotlight: Gonzaga's Gabriel Hughes". USA Baseball.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)