School: Gonzaga University; Class: Junior
Position: RHP; B/T: R/R
Height: 6-4; Weight: 220
Previously Drafted: N/A
High School: Rocky Mountain High School
| FB | SL | CH | Command | Overall |
| 60 | 55 | 50/55 | 45 | 60 |
Background: A product of Rocky Mountain High School, Hughes was an unstoppable force during his final two prep seasons in Idaho: he captured back-to-back Gatorade State Player of the Year awards. During his junior season in 2018, the burly right-hander / first baseman batted .461 and posted a 7-1 win-loss record to go along with a sparkling 1.85 ERA . And Hughes followed that up with .365 batting average and seven homeruns and won seven games and posted a tidy 0.95 ERA.
Hughes’ collegiate career got off to a fast start during his freshman season at Gonzaga, posting a 0.77 ERA through four relief appearances and one start in 2020 before COVID prematurely ended the year. And he continued to impress – as a 19-year-old – during his first full season with the Bulldogs: in 61.1 innings, he averaged 9.8 strikeouts and 4.4 walks per nine innings to go along with a 3.23 ERA. He spent the summer working out of Team USA’s Stripes’ rotation, making three brief starts.
This season Hughes improved his ability to (A) miss bats and (B) limit troublesome free passes as he vaulted up the prospect charts as the potential top collegiate arm to be selected. In a career best 15 starts, the big 6-foot-4, 220-pound righty struck out 138 and walked 37 in 98.0 innings of work.
Scouting Report: Consider the following:
- Since 2015, only four Division I pitchers struck out at least 12.5 hitters and walk between 3.3 and 3.6 batters per nine innings (min. 90 IP): Zack Thompson, Dominic Hamel, Hurston Waldrep, and – of course – Gabriel Hughes.
Hughes’ fastball consistently sits in the 94- to 96-mph range, easily making it a plus offering. He’ll complement the heater with an above-average upper 70s to low-80s slider and a quietly solid low 80s changeup that shows tremendous velocity separation. Despite being the top arm in the collegiate class, Hughes’ ceiling isn’t elite. Mid-rotation caliber potential. Seattle, with their version of Cleveland’s pitching development program, looks like a logical landing place, but he likely won’t be available. Look for a team like Colorado, Detroit, or the Angels to snag Hughes.
Ceiling: 3.5-win player
Risk: Moderate
Grade: First Round
