TJ Rumfield & Gabriel Hughes reflect on their rookie seasons

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 18: Gabriel Hughes #43 of the Colorado Rockies reacts after pitching in the fourth inning during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Friday, September 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) |

What is the story about?

Gabriel Hughes and TJ Rumfield are two very different players.

Hughes was drafted by the Rockies in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft and has worked his way up through their minor league system. Rumfield was acquired from the Yankees in an offseason trade.

Rumfield made the Opening Day roster; Hughes debuted mid-season.

And, of course, Hughes is a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery while Rumfield is a position player.

But both have made an impact for the Rockies this year in different ways.

TJ Rumfield

TJ

Rumfield is making a case for NL Rookie of the Year. Through Saturday, he is slashing .302/.392/.454 with a 23-game on-base streak, the longest in the Majors and the longest single-season on-base streak by a rookie in franchise history.

But how would Rumfield sum up his rookie season?

“A lot of learning experiences,” he said. “I think a lot of the team stuff – trying to gel together with guys and make conversations with new people, and even when you have new faces in here, trying to make them feel comfortable because I know how I felt when I first got in the locker room. It’s just small things like that, and ultimately just learning every day.”

And those learning experiences have paid dividends for the rookie, as he ranks among all qualified rookie leaders in average (.302, 1st), OBP (.392, 1st), OPS (.846, 1st), hits (159, 3rd), and multi-hit games (41, T-2nd). Rumfield ranks among NL qualified rookies in doubles (29, 1st), RBI (70, 2nd), extra-base hits (47, 2nd) and total bases (239, 2nd). And he ranks among Major League leaders in OBP (.392, 3rd) and average (.302, 5th).

He and Yordan Alvarez (.312/.429) are the only qualified players in all of MLB with a batting average of at least .300 and an OBP of at least .309.

Not too shabby.

Rumfield has also been a defensive stalwart for the Rockies at first base — something they’ve been sorely lacking since Todd Helton retired in 2013. He’s made plenty of jaw-dropping plays, but one stood out to him in particular on May 18 against the Texas Rangers at Coors Field.

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“I just remember the ball going up in the air and like, ‘Okay, this is one where I can maybe go over the dugout. Like this could be cool,’” he recalled. “And you get closer and closer, and you’re like, ‘Uh oh, it’s about to happen!’ And the momentum taking me over – it was just everything you dream of. Nobody caught me, but it was fine. It’s baseball. You dream of making plays like that and just trying to make a little difference in the game.”

He’s also been leaning on his teammates, especially Troy Johnston.

“(He’s given me) more golf advice,” Rumfield chuckled. “But the boy’s a great teammate. I would actually go to him when I’m feeling down. And he can attest to this – I’ll go to him and I’ll be like, ‘Troy, you’ve got to give me something. Tell me something good about myself.’ And he always does. We’re currently 3-for-3 on that one.”

Manager Warren Schaeffer has also helped his fellow Virginia Tech alum get settled from day one.

“Schaeff was unbelievably welcoming on the first day in spring training,” Rumfield recalled, “calling me into his office and letting me know, ‘Hey, you’re welcome here. I just want you to come and compete.’ It didn’t feel like anything was given to me. I just had to go out and earn it, and I’ve wanted to do that. That’s what I’ve done my whole entire career. It was nice to have the front office be so welcoming – Schaeffer be so welcoming – and just everything kind of working out.”

Gabriel Hughes

Gabriel Hughes (No. 7 PuRP) has been a different story.

The former 10th-overall pick had a long way to the majors that included Tommy John surgery in 2023. But he didn’t let that slow him down, making his long-awaited MLB debut on July 3.

Hughes made his last start on September 18 — his 13th of the year — and took yet another no decision. In 14 appearances (13 starts), Hughes is 0-8 with a 6.33 ERA. The only other Rockies pitcher in franchise history to begin their career with zero wins through their first 13 starts was Jon Gray in 2015-16.

But like Rumfield, Hughes said his rookie year has been “a learning experience.”

“It’s been very different from every level I’ve played at so far, and I think learning how to manage that schedule is part of being a professional,” he said. “But it’s been wonderful, too, being able to travel to so many different places, play so many different places, experience so many different things. It’s been really special being able to see so much of the country in such a short amount of time.”

For example, Hughes was able to pitch at Yankee Stadium — somewhere he’d always dreamed about as he grew up as a huge fan of Mariano Rivera. And he had to navigate the New York City Subway System to get there:

But like all of the other pitchers, Hughes noticed a difference pitching at Coors Field versus the road. But not necessarily in the way one would think.

“I think it’s an experience that Albuquerque has prepared me for, where you go from elevation to non-elevation every week,” he said. “I think here, the biggest difference is that you do it every three to four days instead of every week.”

In addition to his body preparation, though, Hughes has made some adjustments to his pitching.

“I think one of the things I’ve really learned is that I have to have different starting points for a lot of my pitches when I’m here versus on the road,” he said. “It’s not something I’ve thought about too much in the past when I was in Albuquerque. But here, where the margin for error is so low, I think it’s extremely important. So that’s something I’ve continued to work on. But that’s probably the biggest thing I’ve noticed because the margin for error is so low, so you have to be sharp here and on the road.”

And the coaching staff have given Hughes a lot of good advice and a lot of good ideas, which he has enjoyed.

“It’s been awesome. They’re all young and full of ideas,” he said.

“And working with Alon (Leichman) and Gabe Ribas and Matt Buschmann has been really cool because there’s always some new idea, and it’s always, ‘Hey, take it or leave it. If it works for you, great. If not, no worries.’ There’s no ego there. But I think it’s really cool because if I have ideas, I can bounce them off them. They have great ideas that they bounce off me, too.”

He also had high praise for his manager.

“I think Schaeff’s been really cool, too,” he continued. “He’s been a great manager so far because he’s been willing to give praise when you need it and to give you tough words when you need it. And I have no doubt that all the coaches would go to war for us.”

There have been a lot of up-and-down moments for Hughes during his rookie season, but one stands out in particular:

“Striking out Shohei (Ohtani) on three pitches at Dodger Stadium was pretty cool,” he said. “I think it was to lead off an inning, and it was a fastball up, a curveball that he fouled off, and a fastball above the zone for a swing and miss. That was a pretty cool feeling.”

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Hughes was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on September 19 to finish his rookie year, but still finished with 1.1 fWAR — leading the Rockies’ rotation.

Looking to the future

Rumfield and Hughes represent the Rockies future. Both have been bright spots in different ways, and it will be exciting to see what they are able to do in their sophomore campaigns.

In the meantime, there are six games left in the Rockies 2026 campaign and hopefully they are able to finish strong.