SPOKANE, Wash- Two former Gonzaga Baseball players were added to 40 man rosters on Tuesday, marking another step towards two more Zag alums making their MLB debuts.
Gabriel Hughes and William Kempner were respectively added to the 40 man rosters of the Rockies and the Marlins. Both players were drafted in the 2022 MLB Draft. Hughes was taken in the first round with the 10th overall selection, the highest draft pick ever in Gonzaga program history, while Kempner was selected in the 3rd round with the 106th overall pick.
Yesterday marked the deadline for MLB teams to set their 40 man roster to protect players ahead of the Rule 5 draft, indicating that the major league teams may have plans to utilize both Zags in their rosters in the future.
A prospect must be officially on the 40 man roster before they can be promoted to the MLB club roster. Former Zag pitchers Trystan Vrieling and Brody Jesse are now both eligible for the Rule 5 draft, which will take place on December 10th at the MLB Winter Meetings.
Hughes ended the 2025 minor league season as the 14th overall Rockies prospect according to mlb.com's rankings after bouncing back from an injury in 2024. Hughes was a 2022 Collegiate Baseball First Team-All American in his final season at Gonzaga.
Gabriel Hughes was also a finalist for the Golden Spikes in 2022 in addition to being named a 2022 Baseball American Second Team-All American and a 2021 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. Hughes is tied with current Cubs pitcher Eli Morgan for the second most strikeouts thrown in a single season at Gonzaga, tossing 138 in the 2022 season, which was also good for ninth most in the entire country that year.
Kempner was originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants before being traded to the Marlins at the start of the 2025 season. Kempner is tied with current Padres pitcher Alek Jacob for the sixth lowest opponent batting average allowed in a qualified season in Gonzaga history, allowing only a .200 BAA in 2022.
Kempner moved quickly up the minor league system in his year with the Marlins organization, starting the year in high A ball before finishing in AAA to end the season. He had an impressive 2.26 ERA in the 2025 season, collecting 7 saves with only a 1.15 WHIP and a .162 BAA. Kempner averaged 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings while striking out a third of all the batters he faced.
Gonzaga fans can keep up with all transactions involving former GU players on the #ProZags link on the GoZags website.
