Rockies prospect battles nerves in solid showing vs. imposing Team USA lineup

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Rockies intentionally accelerated the learning curve for No. 16 prospect and 2022 first-round MLB Draft pick Gabriel Hughes by having him pitch Wednesday against Team USA in an exhibition.

After two scoreless Cactus League outings, the right-handed Hughes battled the nerves and eventually prevailed. He walked Alex Bregman and Gunnar Henderson, the first two men he faced, and didn’t finish his first inning. He didn’t finish his second frame, either, but that was because of an error that led to two runs.

Hughes went 1 2/3 innings and yielded four runs (two earned) on two hits -- one a Bregman two-run homer after first baseman TJ Rumfield’s throwing error -- in the Rockies’ 14-4 loss.

Hughes struck out Aaron Judge and didn’t walk anyone after his first two hitters.

Last season, Hughes made 24 combined Minor League starts, mostly at Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque in his first healthy season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. He hopes Wednesday serves as preparation whenever the Rockies call upon him.

“I’ve known I was going to pitch against Team USA all week,” Hughes said. “Even yesterday, I was just extremely nervous going to bed, nervous waking up this morning. That’s a really good experience. When I make my debut, I know what the nerves are going to be like. I know what is going to work for me to get my mind on track.”

Manager Warren Schaeffer said, “I thought he competed well -- some stuff behind him [the error and a double play that should have been turned] just can’t happen.”

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Pitching coach Alon Leichman said Hughes told him in the dugout that he felt sped up in his first inning, and he was better in the next inning. Since the injury, much attention has been on his velocity, but he has been reaching the 94 mph range with his sinker. The focus is more on developing pitches, and attacking the strike zone with all of them.

“The sweeper is brand new, and he’s working on the mentality of throwing strikes -- knowing the velo will come,” Leichman said. “We’ve seen it up to 96 this spring.”

The Rockies have added experienced depth to the rotation so prospects like Hughes won’t be forced into the rotation through emergencies. But the coaching staff is taking time with the prospects, and Hughes is an eager student.

"I'm sure I've asked a million questions that by now seem pedantic and banal, but it’s been nice,” Hughes said. “They’re always available and open for questions.”

Test results
Facing Team USA added some juice to the first spring outing for lefty Kyle Freeland, who pitched for the American squad in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Nonetheless, Freeland’s plan was to test a new cutter -- with a new grip, in hopes of landing the pitch higher than his slider -- and changeup.

All but one of his eight cutters and both of his changes produced fine pitch results. The one cutter? Aaron Judge knocked it a Statcast-projected 453 feet to left for a home run that rocketed off his bat at 115.9 mph.

“Spring Training doesn’t count, right?” Freeland said, smiling. “Don’t care. He parks one? Well, on to the next guy. We’ll try it again.”

The one-run, two-hit, one-strikeout inning showed that Freeland is past the mid-back spasms that delayed his Cactus League participation. One of the hits was Kyle Schwarber’s two-out double that ticked off the glove of left fielder Jake McCarthy, who battled the high Arizona sky. That merely served to give Freeland another batter -- Bregman, whom he struck out on a cutter for the last of his 22 pitches (14 strikes).

Left-on-left parting gift
Schaeffer felt it was special for the Rockies to face lefty Clayton Kershaw pitching for Team USA to finish his storied career.

Mickey Moniak greeted Kershaw with a left-on-left homer to right field.

Interestingly, the left-handed hitting Moniak never faced Kershaw in a regular-season game. In official Spring Training games, Moniak flew out twice against Kershaw on March 10, 2023.

“It’s just cool seeing him out there -- obviously the best pitcher of this generation, arguably one of the best pitchers in the history of the game,” Moniak said. “I’ll be able to tell my grandkids that I hit a home run off him.

“I’m not going to tell them that it was, you could say, post-career.”

Precaution for Petit
Righty reliever and Rule 5 Draft pick (from the Tigers) RJ Petit struggled (four runs and two walks in two-thirds of an inning) and left with right forearm tightness.

“You could see the [velocity] dip and him moving his arm around a little bit,” Schaeffer said. “No reason to mess around.”