SCOTTSDALE – With the 10th overall pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, the Colorado Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Gabriel Hughes out of Gonzaga University.
The Meridian, Idaho native began his collegiate career as a two-way player before focusing on pitching this spring. In 15 starts on the bump in 2022, Hughes went 8-3 with a 3.21 ERA (98.0 IP, 35 ER), 37 walks and 138 strikeouts. He finished ninth in the nation in strikeouts and led the Bulldogs staff in innings pitched as GU went 11-4 in his starts. He is the first player in Gonzaga history to be selected in the first round.
Following his sophomore season, Hughes earned All-American honors from D1Baseball.com, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Baseball America, and was also a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist. His three West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week Awards were the most of any single WCC pitcher.
In 2021, Hughes was selected as a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and WCC All-Conference Freshman and Second Team after posting a 3.23 ERA (61.1 IP, 22 ER) with 67 strikeouts while batting .247 (18-for-73) with four doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI as a two-way player.
Hughes is the first collegiate pitcher selected by the Rockies in the first round since left-hander Ryan Rolison was taken 22nd overall in 2018, and the seventh overall in Rockies history.
The Rockies have three more selections on this first day of the draft: the 31st pick in the compensatory round, the 38th pick in the competitive balance round A, and the 50th pick in the second round.
