Colorado Rockies outfielder Zac Veen, the ninth overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft, made his big league debut Tuesday night, April 8, against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field.
Veen, 23, recorded the first hit of his MLB career with a two-out bunt single in the bottom of the sixth inning. Brewers reliever Abner Uribe fielded the ball but made an errant throw past first baseman Rhys Hoskins, allowing Veen to reach second base and Kyle Farmer to advance to third.
Zac Veen picks up MLB hit No. 1 by dropping down a bunt!
The @Rockies' 2020 first-rounder rips off a near-elite 29.2 ft/sec sprint speed to secure a knock he'll always remember. pic.twitter.com/t7IJozwdug
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 9, 2025
Veen finished 1-for-4 with one strikeout in the Rockies’ 7-1 loss. The defeat dropped Colorado to 2-8 to start the season in the National League West. The Brewers improved to 6-5 in the NL Central.
It's Zac Veen time. pic.twitter.com/8YVWc23qeE
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 8, 2025
The series continues Wednesday, April 9, at 8:40 p.m. EDT as Colorado hosts Milwaukee in the third of a four-game set.
Veen, a left-handed hitter from Port Orange, Florida, is ranked as the Rockies’ No. 8 prospect entering 2025, according to MLBPipeline.com.
He initially committed to the University of Florida before signing with Colorado on June 24, 2020. Veen made his professional debut in 2021 with Low-A Fresno and was promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque to begin the 2025 season.
In eight games with Albuquerque, Veen batted .387/.472/.677 over 37 plate appearances, collecting 12 hits, four doubles, one triple, one home run, eight RBI, one stolen base, four walks, and six strikeouts before his promotion to the big leagues.
During spring training, Veen appeared in 28 games and hit .270/.352/.460 with 17 hits, four doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBI, nine stolen bases, seven walks, and 21 strikeouts over 71 plate appearances.
Last season, Veen played across four minor league levels—Rookie Complex, High-A Spokane, Double-A Hartford, and Triple-A Albuquerque—hitting .258 with 60 hits, 11 home runs, 35 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in 65 games.
Veen also played winter ball in Puerto Rico for the Leones de Ponce during the 2023-24 Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente season. He slashed .429/.478/.619 in nine games with nine hits, four doubles, one RBI, three stolen bases, and two walks.
His minor league accolades include being named a California League Postseason All-Star and CAL Top MLB Prospect in 2021, a MiLB.com Organization All-Star in 2021 and 2022, and the Arizona Fall League Hitter of the Year in 2022 with the Salt River Rafters. He was also selected to the Futures Game at Dodger Stadium in 2022.
Across five minor league seasons (2021–25), Veen played in 351 games with a lifetime .263 batting average, 342 hits, 71 doubles, 12 triples, 41 home runs, 209 RBI, 135 stolen bases, 185 walks, and a .788 OPS over 1,527 plate appearances.
While Veen has not yet represented the United States in international competitions such as the World Baseball Classic, his rapid ascent and performance could position him as a potential candidate for Team USA in future events. Notably, Veen participated in the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic, a top high school talent showcase, underscoring his standing among elite American prospects.
Rockies manager Bud Black expressed confidence in Veen’s readiness, stating, “He swung the bat well. He’s healthy. That’s the main thing. This offseason, he was in a good frame of mind mentally and physically. So let’s get him going, see what he can do.”
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
