Welcome to the 2025 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2025. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context.
The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
No. 36, Zac Veen (-0.3 rWAR)
When drafted ninth overall in 2020, Zac Veen was viewed as a future staple of the Colorado Rockies outfield. Coming out of high school, it was assumed it would take a little while for him to arrive but the wait would be worth it, especially if he accelerated his ascension through the system.
Veen dazzled with his speed and aggressive plate approach in the minor leagues, but he kept running into hurdles with bad luck injuries that hindered his progress. Despite the injuries and some of the struggles he began to have at the plate, Veen continued to play with a flair that almost bordered on arrogance.
There was certainly no one more confident in Veen and his abilities than himself.
Veen had made it all the way up to Triple-A in 2024. While the batting average wasn’t the best, there were plenty of hints of his potential as the door to the majors was closer than ever before. He was determined to force that door open in 2025.
After getting added to the 40-man roster during the offseason, Veen entered spring training with a determination to earn a spot on the big league roster. He entered camp with his hair dyed a bright purple — that he changed to a bleach blonde from a teammate’s suggestion — and eager to prove himself to former manager Bud Black and company.
Hair antics aside, Veen impressed in Cactus League play. In 28 games, Veen slashed .270/.352/.460 with two home runs, a triple, four doubles, and 11 RBIs. He also had nine stolen bases. His play in camp not only earned him MVP honors from the team but also some serious consideration to crack the Opening Day roster, especially after Nolan Jones was traded away earlier in camp.
However, the Rockies resisted the notion, instead pointing out the fact that he had barely played in Albuquerque and had struck out 29.6% of the time against big league starters in spring training. The staff wanted Veen to become a better situational hitter, shorten up his long swing, make more contact against big-league pitchers and mature as a pro. There were some obvious things to work on, but Veen seemed a more enticing option than carrying Sean Bouchard or Nick Martini for Opening Day.
Likely a bit disappointed about not making the roster when he believed he should, Veen kicked off the season in Albuquerque and hit the ground running. He slashed .387/.472/.677 in eight games with four doubles, a triple, and a home run. He also had four walks against six strikeouts in 37 plate appearances.
Then the call finally came.
With Jordan Beck struggling, the Rockies decided to option him to Triple-A to right the ship and called up the hot-hitting Veen. The 23-year-old made his big league debut on April 8 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field, going 1-for-4 with a bunt single for his first hit.
He ended up playing just 12 games with the Rockies, slashing .118/.189/.235 in 37 plate appearances. While he did club his first career home run on April 20 against the Washington Nationals, Veen looked overmatched by big league pitching as they attacked the hole in his swing. He was optioned back to Albuquerque on April 23.
Strikeouts were a major issue as he punched out 14 times against just two walks. The fastball was particularly troublesome as he saw it 70% of the time. He batted just .091 against that pitch, with eleven of his 14 strikeouts ending with a fastball. He had a 59% whiff rate on four-seamers as they took advantage of his uphill swing. He couldn’t catch up to the high fastball with the higher velocities.
“I got there 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 had to figure things back out in Triple-A, having to take lessons from the struggles with the Rockies. He continued to struggle over his next 19 games with the Isotopes before an injury sidelined him for a bit. The Rockies took advantage and sent him to Arizona to play in the Complex League and work in their lab facility at Salt River Fields.
The work seemed to pay off as Veen embraced the process and ended up slashing .297/.361/.479 with nine home runs and 42 RBI in his final 63 games. More importantly, he drew 26 walks against 60 strikeouts and added 13 stolen bases. He didn’t get the chance to return to the big leagues, but there was some clear growth for Veen. He took steps to begin catching up to the high heater and, in a sense, became less reckless and more mature as a player. The flair is definitely still there, but there is a different self-assurance in Veen’s play.
The Rockies enter a new era with a new front office and direction following their historically bad season. Veen’s future is as uncertain as most other players on the roster. Staff members have confidence that Veen could be a key outfield piece, but he needs to continue building up muscle to add power at the plate. Even more so, he has still been considered a work in progress when it comes to defense. Despite some excellent speed, his routes still need improvement to get to the ball.
The Rockies have some questions this offseason that need to be answered. Veen finally broke through to the big leagues, but it was a disappointment for both sides. Will he still be viewed as a valuable asset by the new head honcho, or will he become a trade chip this offseason to bring in more experienced help? There are avenues to pursue, and my hope is that Veen can return next spring and put on another show to earn a big league spot and have the grace period to establish himself.
Veen brings some edge to the Rockies that they don’t typically have. The thing is, he has to be performing for it to mean something, and perhaps that was the lesson he learned this year. The big leagues humbled him, perhaps in a way that he’d never experienced before, but now he has the chance to work this offseason and bring that confidence back to the roster while having the results to back it up as a wiser man.
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