Colorado Rockies prospects: No. 9, Zac Veen

9. Zac Veen (388 points, 19 ballots)

A star ceiling was promised when Veen was made the ninth-overall pick in the 2020 draft and signed for a slightly above-slot value $5 million — but there are some ifs to be overcome. If the 24-year-old lefty-swinging, righty-throwing outfielder can stay healthy; if he can manage the swing-and-miss in his profile; if he can translate more of his raw power into game power; and if Veen can remain sober and clear-minded through it all… Then Veen could be a star at the big-league level.

After three years in an injury-affected purgatory (primarily a left wrist issue, but also back and thumb injuries last year) at Double-A Hartford, Veen finally ascended to Triple-A Albuquerque in late 2024. Veen played in 21 games for Albuquerque down the stretch, hitting a slugging-heavy .220/.281/.476 with six homers and three doubles in 92 plate appearances.

That was good enough for Veen to be considered a strong candidate for the Opening Day roster in 2025. While that didn’t quite happen (despite a strong spring training), Veen was up with the Rockies on April 8th after a 5-for-5 game with Albuquerque that included a homer and two doubles. With the Rockies, Veen played consistently in a two week stint but just didn’t hit very well. In 37 plate appearances across 12 games with the Rockies, Veen had only four hits, though one of them was a homer, en route to a .118/.189/.235 line (4 wRC+, -0.3 rWAR) — a humbling experience in his first taste of the big leagues.

Veen returned to Albuquerque in late April for a month, until in late May it was revealed that Veen had been nursing a spring training ankle injury that had hampered his performance (he had hit for just a .481 OPS in May). That led to a three week absence and a stint on the ACL team to rehab the injury and refine his hitting mechanics to improve his ability to hit high fastballs. Upon his return from that assignment, Veen promptly had a 14-game hitting streak that included eight multi-hit and two four-hit games.

In total for 2025, including the ankle-impacted beginning of the season, Veen recovered to hit .289/.354/.468 with 11 homers, five triples, and 23 doubles with 15 steals for Albuquerque in 412 plate appearances — a slightly below average 94 wRC+. He cut his strikeouts five points to 20% of plate appearances while walking 9% of the time. For as long as he’s been in our prospect consciousness, it’s also important to remember that Veen only faced a younger pitcher than him in 8% of plate appearances (and a chunk of those were during his ACL rehab stint). On defense, Veen played all three outfield positions, with the plurality of playing time coming in left field. He made four errors and had three outfield assists in 80 Triple-A games.

In a recent article by Thomas Harding of MLB.com, Veen explained that his last few years had been affected by substance abuse issues and that he has recommitted himself to the game, packing on 40 pounds vs. last year. We’ll see how that new body serves Veen this spring against fastball velocity as he fights for an Opening Day roster spot.

Here are some of Veen’s 2024 highlights, which show off all-fields power:

Veen was slotted 16th in the system by Keith Law of the Athletic earlier this month:

Veen was Colorado’s first pick in the 2020 draft and was the last player I saw live before everything shut down. In that game, he hit a massive home run, aligning with reports I’d heard for months before about his plus power, but that has not been a part of his game at all in pro ball. He hit 15 homers in Low A in 2021, and that remains his career high. He’s the king of medium-quality contact, and that might work if he were a more disciplined player in the box or on the bases. He chases way too many pitches — nobody in Albuquerque should be swinging at 33 percent of pitches out of the zone — and he tends to swing too uphill, hitting for power he doesn’t have. I thought Veen would have a very different career than this when the Rockies took him, and maybe the new front office can try to get him to be more of a contact-first hitter and give up on the power, but for now, he’s maybe a backup corner outfielder.

Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked Veen as a 40+ FV player, 14th in the system (despite a 70 run grade and 60 future grades on fielding and raw power) last January:

Veen’s lefty swing is still vulnerable to inner-half velocity, and he remains in a liminal prospect space more than he is a slam dunk big league star.

This grade remains skeptical of Veen’s future ability to hit and access his raw power, but appreciates how impactful his speed will be in a part-time outfield role.

I’m excited by Veen for the same reasons anyone would be: He’s a ferocious rotator capable of hitting some epic home runs, and he’s built as if Maserati started making human beings. Veen has one of the more electric power/speed combos in the minors, but his levers and long, low-ball swing make it very difficult for him to be on time to the contact point, especially against fastballs, which has led to a good number of strikeouts and mediocre contact. Pitchers work him in on the hands, then get him to swing over the top of back-foot breaking balls once Veen starts to cheat on heaters in that spot. He’s best able to create power against bad breaking balls and pitches located down-and-away from him, when he can get his arms fully extended. When he does, it’s very beautiful and easy to see why so many folks (including your author) have been gaga for Veen at various points in his prospectdom. Still, as it’s currently constituted, he presents a below-average contact and game power look.

Veen brings other meaningful stuff to the table. He plays with an elite motor, moves from base to base with just a few gigantic strides, and commits to the next base with abandon in borderline situations. There are more opportunities for speed to impact the big league game now, which helps elevate Veen into a more impactful FV tier. On defense, his speed allows him to turn would-be doubles into singles by chasing them down before they can trickle into the gap or corner, but he doesn’t get good reads and looks uncomfortable at the catch point. Despite his wheels, the Rockies have basically never given Veen any kind of extended run in center field because his reads and routes aren’t good. It makes Veen feel like a turbo charged fifth outfielder on a good team rather than a true fourth or platoon guy.

Veen is ranked as a 45 Future Value player by MLB Pipeline, 11th in the system, including plus grades on his speed and arm with a 55 on fielding and a 50 on his hit tool:

The 23-year-old outfielder still offers plenty of projection in his 6-foot-3 frame and game, if he can stay on the field. His 2023 wrist injury definitely wreaked some havoc with his swing mechanics, but it was encouraging that he started to get to some of his power again in ’24, albeit sporadically. He’ll have to be cognizant of not trying to get to too much loft, something that has happened in the past, also the reason why his strikeout rate is north of 25 percent at the upper levels. Earlier in his career, he offered better bat-to-ball skills.

A solid runner who squeezes every ounce of his speed by being aggressive with good instincts on the basepaths, Veen probably fits best in an outfield corner if he were to settle in as a regular. He’ll see time in all three outfield spots to provide options for when the need arises, but more than anything, he has to show that he can answer the bell over the course of a full, healthy season.

John Trupin of Baseball Prospectus ranked Veen sixth in the system last January with a 55 OFP grade:

Veen plays hard—a double-edged sword—as his gazelle-like strides generate a gait at paces he cannot always easily alter. That can lead to electric defensive plays and swipes of third and home, as well as self-injurious plays that are unfortunately the purview of those who burn particularly bright. At the plate, Veen’s prominent uppercut swing generates loft, while his patience and power earn him respectful approaches from pitchers. It can get long through the zone, and doesn’t offer much room for adjustment when fooled. His struggles in Triple-A Albuquerque following his activation from the injured list are not yet of high concern, as his power and defense fit the bill, but a 28.3% whiff rate highlights the ceiling limiter for one of the best athletes in this system. Ahead of last year, we’d hoped to see Veen dominate and stay healthy. He came up a little short of both, but is nonetheless on the cusp of the big leagues.

When he makes contact, you can see a superstar’s framework in Veen’s powerful swings and strides. But not only has he struggled to maintain that performance, his body has not held up to the pace at which Veen plays. Injuries that continue to sap his athleticism would leave a thimble-wide passage for success, while lasting health will make him a Coors Field mainstay.

First of all, Veen needs to be more forthcoming about injuries that are impacting his ability to perform — this has now happened at least twice (with his wrist and now his ankle). Veen is a player that Purple Row has stayed higher on than the scouting consensus due to what he can be when he’s not playing through injuries or on the shelf. Maybe Veen won’t be able to adjust to some holes in his swing that big league pitching will exploit, but he’s shown the ability to adjust before.

Veen is an excellent base-runner, a good outfielder, he has raw power to tap into. He’s making better swing decisions and he’s come into camp this year in much better shape. That makes him a candidate for a big league role this season and a 40+ FV grade (13th on my list).

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