The Rockies lost a generation of pitching prospects. Is this next wave the answer?

Mar. 21—PEORIA, Ariz. — Gabriel Hughes stood on the top step of the Rockies' dugout on Monday night and took a deep breath.

Then he struck out the top of the Dodgers' order in 12 pitches, sending two looking and one swinging. He looked like a veteran when, in reality, Hughes, the Rockies' 2022 first-round draft pick, was actually just a Low-A player getting his game action of the spring. He didn't even meet catcher Elias Díaz until right before first pitch.

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Hughes didn't look, or act, outmatched.

Hughes went on to strike out four in three innings in his first career major league spring training game. He won't be with the Rockies this year. Probably not next year, either. The team, though, decided to throw him into the mix anyway and did the same with 2021 pick Jaden Hill on Tuesday against the Padres. Hill struck out one and gave up a run in two innings.

The results won't matter long-term. They'll get buried at the bottom of their stat pages as they move along in their careers. But for both Hughes and Hill, this was an important steppingstone and a critical development milestone to check off.

"It was incredible. It feels like making your debut," Hughes said on Monday after his outing. "As soon as I got off the field, I looked around and was like 'OK. I did it. One step, onto the next."

To be successful, teams needs to find solid starting pitching any way they can. The Rockies have not had success getting free-agent starters to come pitch at altitude, instead relying on their own system to produce arms.

Their position talent, the group that the Rockies feel will lead them back to the playoffs, is on the edge of the majors. They need pitching, though, and they are still years behind. A generation of starters didn't play out as they had hoped, with Ryan Rolison, Peter Lambert, Chris McMahon and Sam Weatherly's paths sidetracked because of injuries. Their careers aren't over, but their journeys are difficult and filled with roadblocks.

But this next wave, headlined by Hughes and Hill, is on its way. They ended last season in Low-A, and Jordy Vargas and Joe Rock aren't too far ahead of them.

There are many steps still before any of them get a plane ticket to Denver.

Hughes is getting used to throwing a changeup. He started playing around with it two years ago, knowing he needed a third pitch if he was going to make it at the next level. It's still a work in progress — he threw only a few couple on Monday night.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Hughes needs to learn how to breathe on the mound. His stat line on his second inning was clean, but he was leaving too many pitches up in the zone.