Many fans raised their eyebrows when the Colorado Rockies left top outfield prospect Zac Veen off the Opening Day 26-man roster.
It called into question the Rockies’ dedication to a much-needed rebuild after back-to-back 100 loss seasons and six consecutive losing campaigns.
Despite general manager Bill Schmidt claiming that “if one of the young guys are ready, we’re not afraid to go with them” during spring training, it was difficult to believe when several young players of note—Veen included—were left off the roster in favor of veterans like Nick Martini and a last-minute addition to the team by way of former first overall draft pick Mickey Moniak.
Veen (no. 4 PuRP) had put together an admirable spring training showing. He hit .279/.353/.475 with four doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He drove in 11 RBIs and was aggressive on the bases with nine steals. While he did strike out at a 32.8% clip, it was difficult to find a reason why he would start the season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes.
The team was non-committal in their reasoning, though murmurs of his maturity, his plate approach, his lack of experience in higher levels of the minors, and/or his high strikeout rate were all floated as potential causes.
“Zac realizes that it’s probably a little more time needed in the Minors before he potentially gets an opportunity,” former manager Bud Black said at the time. “Hopefully, he’ll force that by how he plays.”
Veen did indeed “force that” with his play.
He hit .387/.472/.677 with eight RBIs, four doubles, a triple, and a home run during the first eight games of the Triple-A season, quickly causing the Rockies to select his contract for a long-awaited big league debut on April 8th.
Unfortunately, Veen’s first cup of coffee was a difficult one. In 12 games with the Rockies, he hit just 4-for-34 with one home run.
Strikeouts were a key issue for Veen, which he did 37.8% of the time during his time with the big league club. More concerningly, he struggled immensely against major league fastballs.
Veen hit just .091 against the four seam fastball and struck out 11 times. He whiffed 59% of the time against that pitch.
It was clear that Veen wasn’t quite ready, and he was optioned back to the Isotopes to get his bearings.
“Sometimes that’s what has to happen, a guy has to get sent up to find out what they need to work on,” then-Isotopes hitting coach Jordan Pacheco said. “When he first came back down, he was getting blown up on 91 (mph). He wasn’t in the right position. He’s definitely trending the right away. When you catch a fastball out front that is a little up in the zone, you know, OK, we are getting somewhere.”
However, he struggled to find his footing again. He hit just .224/.277/.342 with six extra-base hits—including a home run—over the next month. He also saw his playing time become somewhat less frequent, but no one was quite sure why.
It would be revealed that Veen had been nursing an ankle injury since spring training, one he ignored as he pushed to achieve his dream and make his MLB debut.
It was not the first time Veen had played through the pain trying to make his dream a reality.
Veen previously played with extensive damage in his left wrist and hand for the better part of a year after playing in the 2022 MLB Futures Game. The injury caused his offensive output to drop dramatically until he finally relented and underwent season-ending surgery in mid-2023.
Veen was sent to the Rockies’ Arizona Complex in Scottsdale earlier this month. In addition to rehabbing his ankle, he also spent extensive time in the Rockies’ performance lab to work on his mechanics—which he admitted had slipped.
“I got [to Major League Baseball] and I saw how big the stadiums were, how electric the fans were, and I wanted to perform so badly for them — put that energy into the stadium with one swing,” Veen said. “That caused me to get into some bad habits and do way too much.”
Veen’s steep uphill swing made contact difficult, especially on the high fastballs his big league opponents were using against him. That, combined with his nagging ankle injury, were assessed in the performance lab as a “foundational reset” according to director of player development Chris Forbes.
Those who have worked closely with him have full confidence in his abilities.
“He has all the tools. He works really hard. He just needs to be a little bit more consistent,” said former Isotopes teammate Ryan Rolison. “The main thing is keeping his head steady and sticking to the process, because his process is good enough and he is good enough to be an All-Star at the big league level.”
Rockies hitting coordinator and current interim big league hitting coach Nic Wilson believes “he’s a guy who can help a club, especially when he is feeling like himself and playing well. I mean, it’s electric. Fans love it. We love it. It energizes the team. It’s the kind of guy who can make a play to change an inning and really change a ballgame.”
Veen has since returned to Triple-A Albuquerque, where he played his first full series last week. He went 3-for-20 with a home run, two walks, and four strikeouts. Now he must once again prove he belongs on a big league roster.
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Weekly Pebble Report: June 17th-June 23rd
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (1-5, 31-43 Overall)
A tough series loss that ended with four straight losses to the Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners) set the Isotopes even further back from their goal of reaching .500. Albuquerque has lost 10 of their last 12 games heading into a difficult series in Las Vegas to wrap up the month of June.
⬆️ Stock Up: Finding his Fernández Flex
Yanquiel Fernández (no. 7 PuRP) is finding his groove in the month of June, perhaps at the best possible time as the trade deadline approaches and roster spots are set to become available. Fernández went 5-for-16 in four games against the Rainiers with a double. He’s hitting .375/.380/.563 in June.
⬇️ Stock Down: Struggling to Blalock it down
Right-handed pitcher Bradley Blalock gave up four earned runs on five hits—including a home run—and two walks to start the series against Tacoma. He worked four just four innings. Since returning to the Isotopes in May he’s given up four or more earned runs in six of his eight starts.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (4-2, 36-33 Overall)
The Yard Goats pushed further above .500 with a much needed bounce-back series win against the Reading Fightin’ Phils (Philadelphia Phillies) after missing out on a first half playoff spot.
⬆️ Stock Up: Totally Kyle
Third base prospect Kyle Karros (no. 12 PuRP) went 8-for-21 against the Fightin’ Phils with a double and three walks to three strikeouts. He’s currently riding a ten-game hitting streak heading into this week’s series and appears to be back on track after missing time due to injury.
⬆️ Stock Up: Wishing him Welinton
Lefty reliever Welinton Herrera is starting to find his footing in Double-A after being promoted to the Yard Goats last month. Herrera made three scoreless appearances and pitched three innings against the Fightin’ Phils, striking out five batters to just one walk. His best outing came on Sunday when he struck out four over two innings of work.
High-A: Spokane Indians (2-4, 31-38 Overall)
The Indians dropped their second straight series to wrap up the first half of the season, losing four of six to the Everett Aqua Sox. The Indians did blow out the Aqua Sox 10-2 on Native Culture Day on Sunday. If you’re not familiar with the work the team does with the Spokane Tribe, I highly recommend learning more!
⬆️ Stock Up: Say ‘So Longwell’ to the baseball
Indians first baseman Aidan Longwell has a hit in 11 straight games, hitting .383/.396/.681 with two home runs, eight doubles, and ten RBIs during that time. In six games against the Aqua Sox he went 8-for-24 with three doubles, two home runs, and five RBIs. Longwell currently leads the Indians in RBIs and is tied with Jared Thomas for the lead in slugging percentage and home runs.
⬆️ Stock Up: We’re Eaton well tonight!
One of the Indians’ best pitching performances of the week came from lefty starter Konnor Eaton. Eaton struck out a season high 11 batters in a 6 2⁄3 inning Quality Start where he allowed just three runs (one earned) and didn’t issue a single free pass.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (3-3, 31-38 Overall)
The Grizzlies walked away with a series split against the Visalia Rawhide (Arizona Diamondbacks) to end the first half on a high note. While the Grizzlies offense has been somewhat feast or famine, they did score at least five runs in three games, including a 16-6 victory last Thursday.
⬆️ Stock Up: Jackson’s back, son
Right-handed starter Jackson Cox (no. 26 PuRP) has had to slowly find himself while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s been on a strict three inning limit until this month. Against Visalia he worked 3 2⁄3 innings without allowing a run. While he did allow four hits and two walks, he also struck out a season high five batters. Cox hasn’t given up more than one earned run since the end of April.
⬆️ Stock Up: Pants with stripes and cutaway coat, perfect Fitz
Playing primarily first base this week, 2024 16th round draft pick Kevin Fitzer put together a strong series in five games against the Rawhide. Fitzer went 8-for-19 with a triple, two home runs, and nine RBIs while striking out just twice.
Arizona Complex League: ACL Rockies (4-1, 22-15 Overall)
The Rocks keep rolling down in Arizona, as another four win week pushed the ACL Rockies to seven games above .500.
⬆️ Stock Up: Golden Roldy
18-year-old Dominican infielder and center fielder Roldy Brito continues to hit well down at the Complex. The switch hitter rotated between second base and center field in four games and went 6-for-15 with his third home run of the short season.
⬇️ Stock Down:
German-born outfielder Alessander De La Cruz had a difficult week in Arizona, appearing in three games as a right fielder. He went just 1-for-10 with six strikeouts and a walk. He also grounded into a double play.
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