Gabriel

Hughes

Palmquist, 25, appeared in nine games for the Rockies in 2025 where he compiled an uninspiring 8.91 ERA and 2.04 WHIP across 34 1/3 innings. Given the Rockies’ overall lack of pitching depth, he’ll probably get another shot at the big league level at some point during the 2026 season.

Colorado decided not to leave Thompson exposed after he batted .296/.392/.519 with 18 homers and 12 steals across 120 games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this past season. The 24-year-old corner outfielder was the club’s first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and should enter spring training with a chance to win a roster spot.

Hughes has mostly struggled since being selected with the 10th pick of the 2022 MLB Draft, but he got the job done in exhibition season against the D-Backs. The 23-year-old is almost assuredly going to open the season in Triple-A with Albuquerque, but could make starts with Colorado before 2025 comes to a close.

Hughes, the 10th overall pick in the 2022 draft, is making his way back from Tommy John surgery, with his three AFL starts representing his first action since July 2023. He has a 6.75 ERA to date, but so does everyone else in Arizona. He’s struck out nine and walked three in eight innings.

The 21-year-old hurler allowed just one hit in the ballgame -- a one-out single to Ryan Ward in the third inning. The 10th overall selection out of last June’s draft, Hughes tossed just three innings at Single-A Fresno in 2022, so it’s likely that he’ll return there or to High-A for his first full minor league season.

Hughes was the 10th pick out of the draft out of Gonzaga. He gets $4 million, which is almost a million below the allocated funds assigned for that pick. The right-hander has three pitches that can miss bats, and has shown the ability to command the offerings as well, for the most part. The Rockies also signed Sterlin Thompson out of Florida who was selected with the 31st pick, and Jordan Beck out of Tennessee who went with pick 38.

Hughes was considered by many to be the top college pitching prospect in this class for the majority of the season. The right-hander has the potential for two plus pitches; the first being a fastball that can get into the high 90s, and the second being a slider that can be a swing-and-miss pitch. He also has a decent change, and his command got better in 2022. Colorado is a tough place to pitch, but Hughes has a chance for fantasy relevancy if those top two pitches max out.