This is the intro where I wax poetic about Spring Training and hope, then follow it up with a bunch of caveats that imply you should ignore everything you are about to read.
You see, this is a magical time of year. Anything could happen. Except, of course, the things that definitely won’t happen.
Still, don’t let numbers get in the way of dreams. Not now. Not here. Not this time of year!
So while you – a very intelligent person – know that statistics from games played in February are about as meaningful as promises of love made on reality TV shows, you still can’t help but watch and hope.
Because that is what this time of year is for.
So let’s take a look at some super fun Zac Veen stats!
Taken in the first round of the draft back in 2020, Veen’s minor league career has been explosive in both good and bad ways. His production when he is on the field is fantastic, especially on the base paths where he has stolen 134 bases and only been caught 32 times.
Unfortunately for Veen, and fans of five-tool prospects, he has also spent much of that time recovering from various injuries that have delayed his eventual and inevitable arrival.
But now it appears that, despite all of that, he may be sneaking up on 2025. Objects in this mirror are closer than they appear.
He has been the player to watch so far by smacking four hits, two doubles one homer, driving in four, and stealing three bases in six games played. The play that best indicates who the Rockies might have on their hands, though, didn’t show up in the box score.
During the middle of an absolute drubbing of the Chicago White Sox, Veen hit a hard grounder toward second. It wasn’t exactly routine but it also tends to be fielded by MLB second baseman the vast majority of the time.
Still, Veen booked it out of the box and when the ball skipped under the fielder’s glove, something that can happen from time to time, the Rockies outfielder didn’t just reach first base relieved of the error but sprinted to second, taking extra advantage of the miscue.
In the parlance, Zac Veen is an Action Player.
In baseball, patience is key, and it is often the players that let the game come to them who end up carving out long and lasting careers. Think Charlie Blackmon or Joey Votto. But players to take it to the game have also been known to become greats. Think of the late, great, Ricky Henderson.
Like with most ballplayers, whether Veen can make the most of his skillset or not will come down to whether or not he can create enough contact at the plate. And also his health.
So outside of the hustle and athleticism, two things that were to be expected, the most encouraging thing about Veen so far has been the way he comports himself at the plate.
Don’t let the bleach-blonde hair or the “running like a bat out of hell” base running fool you, when he gets into that batter’s box right now, Veen is all business. He isn’t flailing wildly, notching three-pitch strikeouts, or generally failing to compete the way we often seen when someone has the pressure of knocking on the door to the Bigs.
Two springs ago, we watched Nolan Jones do just that, later admitting to media that he was trying so hard to improve and impress that it got the better of him.
If he can keep it up, Veen is going to force the Rockies into a fascinating conundrum. They already have Brenton Doyle in centerfield and big hopes that Jones can recover from a lost 2024 in left field.
Last year, Jordan Beck appeared to have leap-fogged Veen on the depth chart but his own injury issues stopped him from fully putting his stamp on right field, and so competition remains open.
With a decent spring, Beck should still get the chance to prove his ability at which point its worth asking whether or not the best thing for the next stage of Veen’s development is to get a taste of MLB while sitting on the bench or to get every day at-bats in Triple-A.
Typically, the evey day at-bats are more valuable. So even if Veen is the Rox MVP in Spring Training, he might not make the team. He’s also got competition from just below him on the depth chart where Yanquel Fernandez and Benny Montgomery have also looked good so far in 2025.
Because we don’t have a crystal ball, we can’t say for sure who among these outfielders will emerge and claim a spot for years to come.
We do know one thing for sure though. The days of watching aged veterans try to roam the vast expanse of Coors Field are over.