Zac Veen hits second homer in two games

Only promoted yesterday, Veen made his presence known early on in his first game back up with a long home run. He blasted it 104.7 mph off the bat and it traveled an estimated 407 feet, landing directly in the pool at Chase Field in Arizona. There’s no question that he has game-breaking power after smashing 24 home runs in 100 games at Triple-A this season plus he had a 113 mph max exit velocity. He also stole 18 bases, but has bulked up a good bit since being known as more of a speedster a few years back. The question with Veen is more so how the Rockies are going to get him in the lineup every day. In this came, they shifted Cole Carrigg from center field to shortstop to make it work. Then, Veen was pulled from this game in just the sixth inning so Ezequiel Tovar could go in to shortstop and Carrigg back to center. There’s still more to learn about how this situation will shake out.

Veen is one of the more challenging prospects to evaluate for fantasy purposes because he’s missed a ton of development time to injury since being selected ninth overall back in 2020. The 24-year-old has put up some stratospheric numbers in extremely hitter-friendly environments on the doorstep of the majors this season, batting .327/.402/.635 with 24 homers and 18 RBI over 100 games. He’s been sizzling hot since the start of August and the Rockies were getting almost nothing from their outfield mix besides Cole Carrigg and Jake McCarthy. He’s talented enough to make an impact for fantasy purposes, but a wait-and-see approach feels like the right move. Simply put, we need to see something from Veen in the big leagues before he’s worthy of a roster spot in shallow mixed leagues.

Veen is now hitting .455/.514/1.121 in eight games in August with five home runs, 12 RBI, 13 runs, and two steals. Unfortunately, with Mickey Moniak, Cole Carrigg, and Jake McCarthy in Colorado, there is no room for Veen.

Veen is now up to 17 home runs and 65 RBI in 89 Triple-A games to go along with a .313/.389/.580 slash line and 15 steals. He deserves another shot with the Rockies but likely won’t get one unless they trade away some outfielders at the deadline.

Veen is now hitting .322/.400/.588 with 14 home runs, 55 RBI, and 14 steals in 75 games at Triple-A. He’s being a bit more aggressive than he has been in recent seasons, so even though his swinging strike rate remains a similar 11.5 percent, he’s making more contact and more contact in the zone than before. He deserves another shot at MLB at-bats, but with Jake McCarthy, Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak, and Cole Carrigg also in the outfield mix in Colorado, the team likely needs to make a move at the trade deadline.

Veen injured his knee while making a sliding catch, but it’s just a bruise and shouldn’t sideline him for long. However, the offseason addition of Jake McCarthy means that there is currently no spot in the Rockies outfield for Veen.

The dynamic 24-year-old outfielder victimized Sean Boyle for the game-winning blast, demolishing a 1-0 changeup for a 447-foot (108.7 mph EV) bomb to center field. Veen finished the afternoon 1-for-2. He’s off to a strong start this spring, hitting .273 (3-for-11) with a pair of homers, three RBI and a 4/1 K/BB ratio in his first six games. If he can work his way into a regular role with the Rockies, he could wind up being an impact addition for fantasy purposes.

Veen showed up to camp looking physically transformed, and the added strength announced itself loudly with this staggering 468-foot missile, per Statcast. The 24-year-old former top prospect flopped in his first shot with the Rockies last season but he would be in line for a significant role if someone like Mickey Moniak, Jordan Beck or Jake McCarthy gets off to an ice-cold start to the year.

The dynamic 24-year-old outfielder admitted that he battled a “pretty big substance abuse problem for a few years” and that he’s now finally “completely clean and sober” after taking time to work on himself and complete an 11-week program for substance abusers. Veen still faces an uphill battle at securing a spot on the Rockies’ Opening Day roster, but if he does ultimately find his way into regular playing time he has all of the tools to be an impact performer for fantasy purposes.

The 23-year-old is now hitting .309 with six home runs, 10 steals, and an .869 OPS in 55 games at Triple-A this season. It remains to be seen if he will get another shot at MLB at-bats once the trade deadline is over.