'A ton of fun': Prospect Veen showing growth, but still letting it fly

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. ¨C Zac Veen, Rockies¡¯ No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has brought excitement all week, hitting a home run and a double against the Reds on Tuesday and a triple Wednesday against the Padres.

The mundane counts, too.

Starting Thursday¡¯s 6-4 win over the Guardians because center fielder Brenton Doyle was tending to a family member, Veen led off the first inning with a walk against righty Luis L. Ortiz. Such a result would have been scarcely thinkable in 2023, when he swung at nearly everything during his first Major League Spring Training.

But Veen, who never stays still for long, stole second and popped to his feet with a smile as his helmet flew off to reveal his platinum blond locks.

The Rockies didn¡¯t necessarily plan on Veen, 23, winning a Major League job this spring, especially after his last two seasons were truncated by hand and thumb injuries. But he is giving them the excitement the Rockies love, and is beginning to show the maturity the team needs to feel confident in giving him the shot.

Those decisions come later. What¡¯s important is that Veen feels the joy with which he is playing.

¡°This is a ton of fun -- the most fun I¡¯ve ever had,¡± Veen said. ¡°It¡¯s so much fun because we¡¯re playing baseball every day, and I get to play with a lot of guys I¡¯ve watched growing up and guys that I came up with in the system. It¡¯s a great time.¡±

Through 17 games, Veen is batting .294 (10-for-34) with three doubles, a triple and two home runs, and is 5-for-5 on stolen-base attempts.

The injuries have limited Veen to 111 Minor League games in the past two seasons. But last season between Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque, Veen slashed .258/.346/.459 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.

When he is on the field and fully healthy, as he is this spring, Veen shows his potential.

¡°He¡¯s to the point now, after a couple of years of professional baseball, he¡¯s realizing what this is about -- his career is serious, and he¡¯s got to play,¡± Rockies manager Bud Black said. ¡°On the flip side, that¡¯s who he is -- the enthusiasm, the energy. He¡¯s got a certain style to how he plays and we¡¯ll never change that.¡±

The Rockies are considering Veen. But Nolan Jones and Jordan Beck (who homered Thursday) are penciled in at the infield corners, and non-roster veteran Nick Martini (3-for-3 Thursday) has had a good camp and plays multiple positions. But Veen is still in camp.

Veen¡¯s game is a combination of hustle, natural style and unabashed enthusiasm. He punctuated his first home run, on Feb. 22, with a bat flip that saw the wood bounce near the pitching mound of the Diamondbacks¡¯ Buddy Corcoran. Veen extended an open hand toward the mound as he began his trot, to say he didn¡¯t mean harm. Those who truly know Veen with the club and beyond have said without prompting that he wasn¡¯t trying to taunt anyone.

Veen feels embraced by his teammates. There¡¯s Ryan McMahon, who talks to everyone. Doyle offers pointers and friendship when the two are on the field. Left-hander Kyle Freeland, seeing a kindred spirit, breaks the imaginary pitcher-position player wall.

¡°He cares about his teammates, he cares about himself and having success,¡¯ said Freeland, who said he took heed of the right ways to express himself but maintained his fire. ¡°He¡¯s young and hungry, which is what we want to see. We don¡¯t want to see guys that are complacent with being in big league camp.

¡°He¡¯s been one of our top prospects for multiple years. Now we¡¯re getting ready to see him showcase that talent in the big leagues, and we¡¯ve seen him make sure that mentality, that hunger, stays the same.¡±

Doyle was a teammate of Veen at Hartford in 2022.

¡°I¡¯m just trying to be as good a hype man for him as I can, and if I see anything I want to critique I¡¯m not afraid to let him know,¡± Doyle said. ¡°Zac is always a good guy. He comes over and picks my brain, and I¡¯m always happy to talk to him.¡±

Veen is a wonder to watch even if, as Black noted, he can be ¡°reckless.¡± He had designs on adding excitement to his triple off the Padres¡¯ Austin Davis, past diving outfielder Forrest Wall, on Thursday.

¡°I thought the center fielder was going to make a SportsCenter Top 10 play,¡± Veen said. ¡°When he didn¡¯t catch it, I was thinking inside the park.¡±