Zac Veen’s Debut May Signal Change for the Colorado Rockies
Top prospect Zac Veen made his long-awaited MLB debut this week, marking what could bring a new era of Rockies' baseball.
DENVER, Colo. – When Nolan Arenado was traded from the Colorado Rockies following the 2020 season, Zac Veen had yet to play a game as a professional.
Selected ninth overall in the pandemic-shortened 2020 MLB Draft, the Port Orange native represented a changing of the guard for an organization that had just jettisoned their franchise player. Four years and two consecutive 100-loss campaigns later, Veen took his place in the Rockies outfield to make his long-awaited Major League debut.
“He’s going to supply a lot of energy and he brought that to the table,” Senior Director of Player Development Chris Forbes said on Tuesday.
“Even though the whole thing has not been as linear as you want it, I’m hoping this adversity he went through is going to ultimately be an asset on the big league side of things.”
Patience and precision are two of the lessons Veen learned during his journey through the minors, two attributes that were on display in his debut with Colorado during a 7-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
With the third baseman playing back and a runner on first base with two outs, Veen put down a well-placed bunt to the left side and legged out an infield single.
The throw from third baseman Vinny Capra tailed wide and allowed both runners to advance an extra base on the error. That brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the sixth of what was a three-run ballgame to that point.
“I think we got a lot of really good hitters here who I know will drive me in. So I’m just trying to get on base,” Veen said. “I’ve trusted (the bunt) a lot, so if it’s there, I’ll do it. If the next guy gets a double, it looks like I’m a genius.”
Causing chaos with his legs may become a calling card for the 23-year-old for the time being until the other facets of his game develop.
“It’s nice to see he’s going to play a certain style of game that at times, it’s probably gonna make me cringe, and then he’s gonna win a game by doing the same exact thing,” Forbes said pre-game. “The youthfulness and the enthusiasm and the nervous energy that I saw in him today, you love it.”
Player Profile
The cancellation of the minor league season in 2020 caused a lot of false starts for many players’ careers. Veen’s first assignment was Low-A Fresno where he was a 2021 California League Post-Season All-Star.
The next year, he was on the precipice of the Majors as the 2022 Northwest League MVP and an invitation to the Arizona Fall League further honed his abilities, winning the Offensive Player of the Year in the process.
Veen abruptly dropped from minor league rankings following injury plagued campaigns the past two years after being ranked as a preseason top 100 prospects by MLB Pipeline in 2021 (#54), 2022 (#36) and 2023 (#27).
Surgery to repair a tendon in his left wrist in 2023, followed by back inflammation, a right thumb sprain and a left hamstring injury in 2024 limited him to 111 games of affiliated ball the past two campaigns.
“I’ve really learned how to have some patience, and I don’t think God’s timing is ever wrong,” Veen said in the first base dugout of Coors Field.
Standout Spring Training
Healthy and primed to reach the Majors at some point this season, Veen batted .270 with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBI and nine stolen bases in 28 Cactus League games. He earned the organization’s Abby Greer Award as the Spring Training MVP.
Despite showing he was ready to the naked eye, the team saw holes in his game that required dedication and optioned him to Triple-A. His stay in Albuquerque would not be for long as he hit .387 with four doubles, one triple, one home run, eight RBI and one stolen base in only eight games.
“There were things we talked to (Veen) about when we sent him out that we wanted to see and he’s not a finished product by any means,” GM Bill Schmidt said. “We’re gonna have a lot of work to do up here, but it’s better than getting off to a slow start.”
With fellow 23-year-old outfielder Jordan Beck struggling at the plate (.150/.261/.150), the club made the switch and promoted Veen. The rest is history, particularly for Veen’s cell phone.
“It’s really cool to get a text from like Todd Helton and Charlie Blackmon, Rockies legends,” Veen said of the reaction to his call-up. ”That was pretty sick.”
Future with the Rockies
Veen’s debut is not just a sign of his success in 2025. Colorado feels like it’s an organizational achievement for one of their players, initiated into the system as a teenager, to earn their way to the Show.
“A lot of people put a lot of work into Zac to get to this point, besides Zac himself, right?,” Schmidt said of Veen’s arrival in the Majors.
“You can start with the scout, John Cedarberg, who spent a lot of time getting to know Zac and the cross checkers, and then it moves into being fortunate to draft (and) sign them. Then the player development guys, Chris Forbes and his group, did five years – that first year being COVID. There was a lot of time and effort. So it’s a proud moment for a lot of people.”
Going one step further, the Rockies made a decision to put one of their top prospects on display for the second consecutive game. Chase Dollander, another No. 9 pick in the draft, debuted on Sunday, April 6 to rousing success. It was later that same day the news broke that Veen would follow suit.
“(I) love debuts,” Black said. “This is a good one. Looking forward to this one. I think a lot of our fans are. Again, this is hopefully the start of a nice Major League career for good young baseball player.”
Colorado hopes April 6 becomes a memorable date for the turnaround of a franchise dying to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2018. Time will tell if these debuts signal a change in culture or a deflating reminder that the difference in the success at the minor league level and the Majors can be worlds apart.
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