Zac Veen of the Colorado Rockies throws the ball during the eighth inning of the Spring Training game against the San Francisco Giants at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 10, 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Center fielder Zac Veen, the 93rd-ranked Major League Baseball prospect and No. 5 ranked prospect in the Colorado Rockies according to MLBpipeline.com, will play for the Leones de Ponce for the 2023-24 season in Puerto Rico’s Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente.
Rockies assistant hitting coach Andy Gonzalez will serve as the bench coach of the Leones during the 2023-24 season in Puerto Rico.
Veen, 21, born in Port Orange, Fla. was drafted by the Rockies in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft as the ninth overall pick out of Spruce Creek High School. Veen signed with the Rockies on June 24, 2020 for a $5 million signing bonus, foregoing his commitment to the University of Florida.
This season, Veen played in 46 games in Double-A Hartford, hitting .209 over 201 plate appearances with 36 hits, seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, 24 RBI, swiping 22 bases, 23 walks, 43 strikeouts and a .612 OPS before being put on the 60-day injured list after undergoing surgery on his left wrist, ending his 2023 season.
Last offseason, Veen played in the Arizona Fall League with the Salt River Rafters, suiting up in 21 games with 99 plate appearances batting .333 recording 27 hits, six doubles, one home run, 10 RBI, 16 stolen bases, 15 walks, and eight strikeouts.
During the 2022 season, Veen was selected to the Futures Game and was nominated as the MiLB.com Organization All-Star for the second consecutive season after playing in 126 games between High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford and batting .245 over 541 plate appearances with 114 hits, 23 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 67 RBI, swiping 55 bases, 64 walks, and 132 strikeouts with a .724 OPS.
In 2021, Veen suited up for his first professional season for Low-A Fresno, playing in 106 games with 478 plate appearances batting .301 recording 120 hits, 27 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs, 75 RBI, 36 stolen bases, 64 walks, and 126 strikeouts alongside a .901 OPS.
The Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico will start on November 3 when Gigantes de Carolina will play the 2022-23 league champions Indios de Mayaguez on the road at 7:45 p.m. EDT at Estadio Isidoro Garcia.
The Gigantes de Carolina, RA12, Cangrejeros de Santurce, Indios de Mayagüez, Leones de Ponce, and Criollos de Caguas are the teams that will play during the 2023-24 LBPRC season.
The Leones de Ponce will play against Criollos de Caguas on November 3 at Estadio Yldefonso Sola Morales at 7:45 p.m. EDT.
The other four teams will start the season on November 4. The Indios de Mayaguez will play RA12 at 7:45 p.m. EDT at Hiram Bithorn Stadium on November 4 and the Cangrejeros de Santurce will play their first game of the 2023-24 LBPRC winter league season on November 4 on the road against the Gigantes de Carolina at Estadio Roberto Clemente at 7:45 p.m. EDT.
Check all the listed teams social media pages in Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente for upcoming games to be streamed on their Facebook and YouTube pages.
