2020 MLB Draft: Scouting Colorado Rockies first-round pick Zac Veen

In the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft, the Colorado Rockies chose possibly the most talented player in the entire draft at pick #9 in Zac Veen.

When the first round kicked off for the 2020 MLB Draft, I personally was hoping to see Heston Kjerstad as the Colorado Rockies pick as most pundits believed would be the pick for the Rockies as Zac Veen was not supposed to make it outside the top five.

I was having daydreams of the power of Kjerstad peppering the Coors Field stands with moonshots. There was so much talk about how if there was a full season of high-school ball, Veen and Spencer Torkelson would have been fighting for the #1 overall spot. There was no way this truly 5-tool potential, uber-athletic kid was going to make it past Baltimore and San Diego. Zac Veen just seemed to fit their outfield profiles and needs too well. But then the O’s picked Kjerstad at 2 overall.

Here is a video of Jim Callis on MLB Network talking about Veen.

This is when I started to believe, but I knew there was at least one more hurdle to jump at 8th overall and the Padres. Then they surprised and selected another athletic high school outfielder in Robert Hassell III (ranked 16th overall) at 8. Now, I just had to worry that the enticement of an arm like Reid Detmers wouldn’t sway them from the best overall OF prospect in the draft in my book and the #1 HS OF in everyone’s books.