Moving Forward: First Dollander, now Zac Veen will get his shot in Colorado

Of all the prospects who could have, and should have made the Colorado Rockies’ opening day roster, Zac Veen was the safest bet.

And while it’s a couple of weeks later, Veen will get his shot.

On Sunday, the Rockies announced that Veen was being moved to the big-league roster, and that’s another move that should provide Colorado with a much-needed shot in the arm for several reasons.

First, Veen was the Rockies Spring Training MVP. He had a great February and a solid March, and ultimately, he was the last player sent back to AAA before the 26-man roster was announced. 

At the time, manager Bud Black gave several reasons as to why Veen wasn’t quite ready for the big show, but, really, that was a service time thing, and all Veen really needed to do was prove himself in another stint in Albuquerque. 

And prove himself he did. 

The AAA season is young, but Veen was crushing it for the Isotopes. In eight games, Veen had 12 hits, four doubles,  a homer and a triple with eight RBIs, hitting .373 overall.

Now, couple that with Jordan Beck and Nick Martini’s stats in Colorado, and it was an easy decision.

Yes, that’s the fallout with a move like this. Someone has to go down and that someone was Beck, who is being reassigned to AAA. In 20 at-bats this far, Beck was batting .150 with three hits and an RBI. Interestingly, it was Beck who the Rockies decided to keep, while trading away fellow young outfielder Nolan Jones. Now, Beck is already in the minors, the Rockies also acquired former No. 1 overall Mickey Moniak, and another former No. 1 pick, Veen, has already been called up.

That’s a big shift for Colorado’s outfield, which includes Brenton Doyle, Martini and Sean Bouchard. Interestingly, this move also makes room for Veen to play some left field perhaps, or, at least play everyday somewhere.

Not that Beck was old, but an outfield with Doyle, Veen and Moniak every day woulds look pretty youthful and athletic.

For now, Black hasn’t really signaled how this will all play out, but, there a couple of things for certain moving forward. With Veen and Chase Dollander now both in the bigs, the Rockies have signaled that, their young guns are going to get their chance to help improve the club. And secondly, this move signals that Colorado is trying to build a more athletic and talented outfield, and one that can hit.

Here’s to hoping Veen plays well enough to be a long-term part of that plan.

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