Zac Veen was one of the most highly anticipated Colorado Rockies’ prospects when he was drafted ninth overall in 2020. Veen was one of the best high school hitters in the 2020 draft class out of Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Florida. He was seen as a prospect with a five-tool ceiling. MLB Pipeline gave Veen above-average grades on both his speed and arm talent. But the journey has been a challenging one for the now 24-year-old Veen.
Zac Veen’s Disappointing 2025
Veen followed up an impressive spring with an early call-up on April 8 last season. But Veen’s bat was not Major League-ready. Over just 10 games, Veen went 4-34 with a .118/.189/.235 slash line. This resulted in a demotion to Triple-A Albuquerque, and Veen did not return to Colorado for the rest of the season. He has been open about the difficulties he faced off the field last season, including substance abuse, in what became an inflection point in Veen’s career.
In a story on MLB.com by Thomas Harding, Veen told Harding that following last season, he went back home to Florida. Where his old high school coach, Johnny Goodrich, and the Rockies’ player development director, Chris Forbes, helped Veen get his life back on track.
“It was a collaborative thing – I can’t thank them (Forbes and Goodrich) enough,” Veen said. “I participated in an 11-week program with substance abusers and alcoholics – people wanting to better themselves. I started going to church, got baptized, and went to Bible study every Wednesday.”
Veen is now fully sober and is up to 245 pounds after being just 202 lbs at the end of last season. He is out to be a better teammate and put the antics and off-the-field issues of last season behind him. On the field, he was solid offensively for Triple-A Albuquerque last season and will look to build on that this spring. He will need to, as it is a crowded outfield currently in Colorado. But Veen is off to a good start.
Starting Spring Strong
Veen hit the first homer of the spring for the Rockies with a 468-foot walk-off home run to clinch a 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox. He shared a special moment with his manager and teammates following the go-ahead bomb. A welcome result after an arduous offseason full of hard work.
Zac Veen’s walk-off homer
113.3 MPH, 468 feet
Veen put on 43 pounds over the offseasonpic.twitter.com/PqSdeB3iQ3
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) February 23, 2026
“Honestly, I just wanted a hit,” said Veen. “I was blessed to get an opportunity to get an at-bat. I just wanted to make the most of it.”
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer was beaming about Veen postgame and emphasized how proud the club is of Veen after all the work he’s put in this offseason.
“I couldn’t be more proud of that kid,” Schaeffer said. “Everybody in that dugout is proud of him, what he’s been through. What he looks like now, he’s going about his business daily.
“I mean, that homer is fantastic. We all love that. But it’s the other stuff that matters more.”
Making the Big League Roster
As mentioned earlier, Veen faces stiff competition to make the Opening Day roster. An already crowded outfield got tighter when Ryan Ritter, who played in the middle infield in 59 of his 60 games in the Majors last season, started in left field vs the White Sox. Ritter took advantage of the opportunity, making a perfect throw to shortstop and Swiss Army Knife, Cole Carrigg, to help throw out Mario Camilletti at the plate in the seventh inning.
Jordan Beck and Mickey Moniak started in the corners for the large majority of last season. Both had excellent seasons offensively last year and, barring injury, should be locks for the Opening Day roster. It will be interesting to see if the Rockies give Moniak any time at DH. As he was a major liability defensively, posting a -8 DRS last season, per Statcast.
The Rockies also traded for outfielder Jake McCarthy this offseason from the Arizona Diamondbacks. McCarthy played primarily in left field last season and will also be able to spell Brenton Doyle in center.
Outfield Depth
That is before even getting to Rockies’ prospects, Sterlin Thompson and Charlie Condon. Thompson raked alongside Veen at Triple-A last season and has yet to make his MLB debut. Condon was drafted third overall by the Rockies out of the University of Georgia in 2024.
Condon hit a 449-foot homer of his own in a 7-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday. He played primarily at first last season in the Minors and will be looked at for the open spot at first. But he played in the outfield in college and has been developed at multiple positions in the Rockies’ system, starting in right field in his first start this spring.
Utility players Willi Castro and Tyler Freeman also will be available to play in the outfield. Freeman was horrible defensively in 2025, worth -8 DRS when playing in right field. But that was a career-worst mark for Freeman by a significant margin, and hopefully, with a year of playing at Coors under his belt, he can improve defensively.
Veen is undoubtedly the feel-good story of the Rockies’ spring early on. He has done everything this offseason to put himself in the best position for a roster spot this spring. It will be intriguing to continue following Veen as he battles in a hotly contested outfield to make it back to the Majors on the Rockies’ Opening Day roster.
Main Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
