Colorado Rockies Add Zac Veen to 40-Man Roster, Protect Prospect From Rule 5 Draft

Outfielder Zac Veen was the Colorado Rockies' first round pick back in 2020, and now the five-tool prospect won't get poached by another club this winter.

Mar 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Zac Veen (73) connects against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning at Las Vegas Ballpark. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have selected the contract of outfielder Zac Keen, the team announced Tuesday.

Now that Keen is on the Rockies' 40-man roster, he has been protected from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. The deadline to submit 40-man rosters to the league was Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, so Keen won't be eligible to get poached by another team come Dec. 11.

Veen is currently ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Colorado's farm system, on top of being ranked as the No. 83 prospect in all of baseball. The outfielder is set to turn 23 years old in December.

The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have selected the contract of OF Zac Veen. pic.twitter.com/JLQlqKrm2v

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) November 19, 2024

Veen was the top-ranked high school player in the 2020 MLB Draft class, and he wound up going No. 9 overall to the Rockies. He opted to take a $5 million signing bonus instead of going to the University of Florida.

It didn't take long for Veen to establish himself as a top-100 prospect, considering he hit .301 with 15 home runs, 75 RBI, 36 stolen bases and a .901 OPS across 106 Single-A appearances in 2021. His 2022 season, which he split between High-A and Double-A, wasn't quite as efficient, but he made up for his struggles by batting .333 with an .889 OPS in the Arizona Fall League.

Veen took a step back in 2023, though, batting .209 with a .612 OPS in Double-A. His season was cut short after just 46 games, as the outfielder underwent surgery to repair a ligament in his left hand that June.

This past season, Veen spent time at four different levels, combining to hit .258 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI, 21 stolen bases and an .805 OPS in 65 games. And while his power translated to his first taste of Triple-A action, Veen hit just .220 with the Albuquerque Isotopes.

The future of the Rockies' outfield seems bright, even taking into account Veen's injuries and recent backslide. Brenton Doyle just won his second consecutive Gold Glove, while Nolan Jones is 12 months removed from finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, and both are 26 years old.

Yanquiel Fernandez, 21, is on the verge of breaking into the big leagues as well. Charlie Condon may be a year out, but the No. 3 overall pick from his summer's MLB Draft carries plenty of hype.

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