After challenging year, Veen arrives at camp healthier and refocused

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Zac Veen’s first Major League extra-base hit – an RBI double off the base of the right-field wall at Coors Field last April 10 – was a hopeful event.

But good feelings evaporated with his celebration. Veen pantomimed smoking marijuana and waving the mist into his face.

“Cringe is probably the greatest word,” Rockies player development director Chris Forbes said.

Veen, the Rockies’ No. 11 prospect, has shown up for Spring Training determined to put last year’s image and behavior behind him.

To say he looks different is an understatement. After finishing last season at an unhealthy 202 pounds, Veen has packed 245 pounds on a still-growing frame that he estimates at “6-4 1/2, maybe 6-5.” It was what scouts projected for him while he was at Port Orange (Fla.) High School.

Revealing in another sense is that Veen is sporting his natural brown hair – not the platinum highlights or the purple – his attempt at sporting the Rockies’ primary color – that he wore last year.

When asked about his new body, Veen revealed that he has matured in more ways than one.

“Definitely one of the bigger, main things was sobering up,” said Veen, 24. “I had a pretty big substance abuse problem for a few years. But I’m completely clean and sober.

“There were times last year where it was out of hand. Coming home in the offseason, I had to look in the mirror and make some adjustments. And I definitely got closer to God, and it made me want to be the best version of myself in every aspect.”

Veen had big performances interspersed with injuries since going pro. There also were signs that Veen’s adjustment to pro ball wasn’t easy. In an interview after the 2024 season, Veen revealed, “Honestly, I used to feel I was playing baseball for every other reason but my own enjoyment.”

The Rockies were aware of some difficulty in Veen’s upbringing. During his middle school years, those who know him say, he sought solace by going to Spruce Creek practice sessions rather than going home. The club kept disciplinary issues out of the public, but said he needed to mature.

Veen went 4-for-34 in 12 games after last year before the Rockies returned him to Triple-A Albuquerque. While there, Veen spent time on the injured list and did a term in the Arizona Complex League. During a period when Veen was not in the Albuquerque lineup, a club official said privately that he “needed a timeout.”

It turned out to be a year of self-sabotage.

“Looking back, a lot of my meals were smoke – and things that shouldn’t have been,” Veen said. “I was smoking weed every day. If I couldn’t find any weed, I was drinking every single day. I’d say ever since I got home in 2021 after my first season, it was a consecutive streak of not being sober. Being able to cut that out of my lifestyle and replace that with protein is very beneficial to the genes God gave me.”

After last season, Veen went home to Florida – a move that could have been salvation or his undoing.

Johnny Goodrich, his coach at Port Orange and with the powerful Orlando Scorpions travel program, offered tough love after seeing Veen go from a hungry and talented player to a caricature based on wild hairstyle and antics.

“I didn’t know that guy,” Goodrich said. “And I didn’t particularly like that guy. And, yeah, I wasn’t afraid to tell him that.”

With the help of Goodrich’s and Forbes’ care, Veen worked on himself.

“It was a collaborative thing – I can’t thank them enough,” Veen said. “I participated in an 11-week program with substance abusers and alcoholics – people wanting to better themselves. I started going to church. I got baptized, went to Bible study every Wednesday.”

Veen realizes he has only made a start. There are teammates who in the past would roll their eyes at the mention of his name.

“Guys take that personally when you’re not considered a good teammate – and I think he took that personally,” Forbes said. “You’re always trying to get him to find his North Star. We can’t enable him, but we’re always going to be there to help.

“But once you find that people don’t want you in those clubhouses, you have to really look in the mirror.”

Veen’s mirror led him to return home, but also limited himself to folks that were with him before he changed. He has his old physical trainers. He has mentors like the White Sox’s Austin Hays, whose consistent personality is a beacon. And he has Goodrich. Veen said he was “honored” to have Goodrich discuss his offseason journey publicly.

“Those aren’t easy changes to make,” said Goodrich, who said Veen’s speed, leaping ability and hitting exit velocities have improved with the added muscle. “He’s done a great job of removing the negative from his life.

“Please make sure this gets in the story: I’m immensely proud of Zac.”

With the Rockies boasting multiple outfield options, Veen is in an uphill battle for the Opening Day roster – and he’s among a group of prospects who are fighting for a chance. But sobriety comes first.

“I’ve known Zac Veen for a long time and he’s an exceptional human being – what he’s been going through the last couple years has been tough,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “We’re here to do everything we can to support him and lift him up.”

The double Veen commemorated in a cringeworthy way was one of just two extra-base hits during his brief trial. It revealed that he was headed in the wrong direction and eventually led to his work toward an about-face.

“At that point, in my head at the time, any substance made me stronger,” he said. “But God works in great, mysterious ways.”