Time spent well: Hughes takes lessons from TJ journey

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- On March 20, 2023, Rockies 2022 first-round Draft pick Gabriel Hughes held the Dodgers scoreless for three innings in his Cactus League debut, and thus made himself a player to watch.

Hughes became a player largely unseen after he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow during the 2023 season. But he’s healthy, and Spring Training marks Hughes’ first steps toward pitching himself back on the prospect radar.

Before the injury, Hughes (Colorado’s No. 22 prospect at the end of 2024) had pitched his way to Double-A Hartford during his first full professional season. The injury kept him off the mound until the Rockies cleared him to return to competition during the ’24 Arizona Fall League, where he compiled a 1-2 record and an 8.31 ERA in 17 1/3 innings over six pitch-limited starts. But don’t call the time away lost time.

“I didn’t lose a year,” said Hughes, a standout at Gonzaga University before the Rockies selected him 10th overall in ’22. “I took that as a learning experience. I’m coming up on the better part of a year and half, because I spent that time learning a lot more about myself, delving deeper into relationships with friends and family and learning a lot more about baseball.

“I’ve come out on the other side a much smarter, well-rounded player. If I have any advice to someone going through rehab, it’s that time isn't lost as long as it's spent well.”

Hughes, 23, has always spent his time well.

His parents, Dustan and Julie, are OBGYNs whom he says taught him and his five siblings that “excellence isn’t optional.” Hughes, for example, earned a degree in biology in three years and planned to attend medical school if baseball didn’t work out. Not only has he learned Spanish, but he has delved into the cultural nuances of how the language is spoken in the various countries from which his teammates hail.

There is much to unpack about Hughes, with those stories to be told as he climbs and hopefully reaches the big time.

For now, though, Hughes has approached his return to the mound and preparation for this season with expected diligence.

The AFL performance was a prime example. The statistics weren’t super -- 14 strikeouts to 10 walks, 20 hits in 17 1/3 innings and a high ERA. But mention the performance, and Hughes immediately says his Salt River Rafters “ended up winning it all.” He added that his fastball-heavy approach while pitching to unfamiliar catchers gave him information to take into the offseason.

In that 2023 outing against the Dodgers, Hughes overpowered hitters with a four-seam fastball and an equally hard cutter-slider. He promises a more mature approach.

“This offseason, especially in my bullpens, I dialed in on how I want to attack hitters,” Hughes said. “For me, that looks like a curveball and a slider that play better off my fastball than the ones previously. There’s more separation [in velocity].

“The slider is getting better movement. It used to be more cutter-y. There’s now more depth to it. [I’m] dialing in the movement for that, getting my curveball to have more depth as well.”

That’s three primary pitches, and Hughes also shows a two-seam sinker and a changeup. It’s a well-thought-out plan.

Manager Bud Black understands that the best-laid plans must be practiced. Unlike MLB Pipeline No. 25 prospect Chase Dollander and Carson Palmquist, the Rockies’ No. 14 prospect after 2024, Hughes is not labeled as a primary contender to break camp with the big club. But he’ll have a chance to develop, whether his season begins at Hartford or Triple-A Albuquerque.

That’s the definition of being on the Major League roster for 2025. Black is happy with how Hughes has returned.

“The health component was proven in the Fall League -- made all his starts, made all his sides [throwing sessions],” Black said. “Statistically, the Fall League wasn’t great. But, that said, his stuff was improving. His delivery got smoothed out.

“He just needs to pitch. And he needs to pitch with the freedom of health, which he has. And there are some things we've got to clean up on the delivery a little bit with his initial leg kick out of the lineup. But, hopefully, he’s on his way.”

Hughes is careful to be purposeful with each step along the journey.

“This is probably my first real professional offseason,” Hughes said. “I knew coming into this, coming off the Fall League, going into big league camp, it was going to require my focus and my intentions to be at a different level. That all carried into taking care of my mental game, taking care of nutrition and really taking care of all the little non-negotiables for me. This offseason has been a higher level of preparation.”