DENVER (AP) — When Zac Veen was 12 years old, he would ride his bike for 5 miles to Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Florida, so he could practice with the varsity baseball team.
Spruce Creek coach Johnny Goodrich welcomed Veen, and he became a staple at the practices.
“I kind of just started showing up and Goodrich brought me in, and never really said no,” the 23-year-old Veen said.
A decade later, Veen is making his major league debut with the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. The organization’s top hitting prospect is playing right field and batting seventh in the lineup.
“This feels very surreal right now and very normal at the same time,” Veen said three hours before first pitch.
Veen was selected by Colorado with the No. 9 pick in the 2020 amateur draft. He received a $5 million signing bonus.
His progression to the majors was slowed by injuries the past two seasons. He had season-ending wrist surgery in 2023. He was hampered by a lower back strain and a thumb injury last year.
But Veen played well in spring training with Colorado and then got off to a fast start with Triple-A Albuquerque. He went 5 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs in a 14-3 victory over Salt Lake on Saturday.
He was batting .387 for the Isotopes when he was brought up by the Rockies.
“I feel like I learned a lot down there,” he said. “Everything happens for a reason. Might not have been the worst thing.”
The first call he made after he was informed of his promotion was to his mom, and he told her she was coming to Denver.
Veen said he will have at least 10 friends and family in the stands for his debut. It marks another anticipated moment for Colorado after — the ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft — pitched five innings in a win over the Athletics in his major league debut on Sunday.
“We’ve talked a lot about getting some young guys to the big leagues, to get them exposure, to see what they can do,” manager Bud Black said. “We’ve done that the last couple years. This is just another guy coming. I thought Zac had a good spring training. He swung the bat well, he’s healthy. That’s the main thing.”
Veen took batting practice Tuesday at Coors Field for the first time. He said that helped calm his nerves ahead of the game.
“(They’re) a lot better after hitting on the field,” he said.
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