In need of starting pitching depth down on the farm, the Rockies selected Gonzaga right-hander Gabriel Hughes with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft on Sunday.
Hughes is a 6-4, 220-pounder who is one of the top-rated college pitchers in this year’s draft. He projects as a future starter in the middle or top of the rotation.
Gonzaga’s Friday night starter this year, Hughes, 20, was 8-3 with a 3.21 ERA, with 138 strikeouts to just 37 walks. He finished ninth in the nation in K’s, and has a mid-90s fastball with a high-80s slider that can be an out pitch. He also has a changeup.
“That’s such a good pick by the Rockies,” one major league agent said. “He’s the most big-league ready pitcher in this class and he’s super, super competitive.”
A two-way star at Rocky Mountain High School in Eagle, Idaho, Hughes recently decided to focus only on pitching after playing in the field at first base his first year at Gongaza.
Hughes was also the first-ever Gongaza player drafted in the first round, and the seventh college pitcher that Colorado’s taken in the first round in franchise history. He’s also played for USA Baseball.
With the Rockies’ next pick, they took Florida outfielder Sterlin Thompson at No. 31, a compensation pick for shortstop Trevor Story signing with the Red Sox. As a sophomore this year, the left-handed hitter slashed 354/.443/.563 with career highs in homers (11), doubles (16), RBIs (51), walks (37) and stolen bases (10).
Colorado then selected Tennessee outfielder Jordan Beck at No. 38 overall in Competitive Balance Round A. Beck is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound right-handed hitter with power potential and a plus-glove who helped catalyze the Volunteers to a strong 2022 season, though they fell short of making it to Omaha.
The Rockies concluded Day 1 of the draft by taking right-hander Jackson Cox out of Toutle Lake High in Washington. With a repeatable delivery and a three-pitch mix headlined by a mid-90s fastball, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Cox could be a back-end rotational piece at Coors Field down the road.
Over the past two years, Colorado took a pair of high school outfielders with its top selection — Zac Veen at No. 9 overall out of Spruce Creek High School in Florida in 2020, and Benny Montgomery at No. 8 overall out of Red Land High School in Pennsylvania in 2021. They added to their future lineup core on Sunday by selecting Thompson and Beck, while also addressing starting pitching.
Hughes is the first right-handed pitcher drafted in the first round by the Rockies since Riley Pint at No. 4 overall in 2016, and the first pitcher drafted by the club in the first round since southpaw Ryan Rolison was taken No. 22 overall in 2018. Hughes said he’s ready to embrace the onus that’s part of being a top-ten pick.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of expectations and a lot of pressure that comes along with that, and I’m confident in my ability,” Hughes said.
Colorado has 18 picks remaining over the final two days of the draft. The Rockies are holding their draft “war room” at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, while the draft is being held in Los Angeles in conjunction with the MLB all-star game.
In terms of local players, there was one Colorado high school product selected on Sunday. Oregon State utility Justin Boyd, a Legend graduate, was selected by the Reds in Competitive Balance Round B at No. 73 overall.
