DENVER -- Throughout his pro career, Zac Veen’s job description was tied to his status as the Rockies’ first-round pick (ninth overall) in the 2020 MLB Draft. A problem with that is anyone and everyone sets the expectations and the tasks.
But now, his expectation is just to do something to help the Rockies win. Tasks may change, but they are set by his club and the game situation.
Saturday, for the second straight game, it was to drop a squeeze bunt to bring in a run. Veen entered in the sixth inning, but in the seventh he bunted in Hunter Goodman from third base for the fourth run of the inning and the Rockies' final run of a 10-7 victory over the Cardinals at Coors Field.
On Friday, Veen bunted in a run as part of the Rockies’ biggest inning of an eventual 7-6 loss. The bunts came against left-handed pitchers -- Justin Bruihl on Friday, Brycen Mautz on Saturday.
“I got blessed with an opportunity to get a run in, and I had some pretty good lefties on the mound,” Veen said. “Glad it worked out, with practice -- and I did a good amount.
Saturday’s bunt toward first base was better than Friday’s that went straight to Bruihl, who flipped to the plate in time -- but the runner was ruled safe and the Cards had no challenges. Saturday, Veen angled the bunt to Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson, whose glove flip was late.
But Veen, batting .243 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 20 games since being called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on Aug. 11, isn’t exactly on a squeeze-a-day diet. On Tuesday, Veen tripled and walked in his two plate appearances in a 4-2 victory over the Orioles. Wednesday, his pinch-hit RBI double in the bottom of the ninth forced extra innings in a 6-5, 11-inning victory over the O’s.
There's often an adjustment period when a player used to playing all the time in the Minors receives less playing time in the Majors. However, manager Warren Schaeffer has established a style of play and lineup construction based on advantageous matchups, so even if the left-handed-hitting Veen isn’t in the lineup, there is a good chance he will play. He and right-handed-hitting Jordan Beck, who started Saturday against Cards lefty Matthew Liberatore and threw out a runner at the plate to save an early run, are sharing at-bats and playing time in the outfield corners.
Hitting coach Brett Pill, assistant hitting coach Jordan Pacheco and more-seasoned teammates are helping Veen learn to thrive.
“I’ve got some good coaches who have done it, and a lot of good feedback,” Veen said. “Because a lot of times, you come up and you’ve played all the time. Obviously, guys are matching up throughout a game.
“It’s always different. But once I understood, or started to understand, what my role is and how I could possibly come in the game to make an impact, it honestly cleared a lot of stuff up for me. I feel ready to go at all times now.”
The Rockies are full of young players -- rookies like Veen and early-career players like Beck. They either contribute or learn. For example, rookie Cole Carrigg was pulled because he ran out of the box slowly on a seventh-inning flare that wound up a single but should have been a double. Schaeffer said one of his rules is if lack of effort “hurts the team, you’re coming out of the ballgame.” Carrigg said he has “got to be on second base -- it won’t happen again.” Veen was the subject of a similarly corrective move by Albuquerque manager Pedro Lopez earlier this season.
By keeping all of the players ready even if they aren’t playing all the time, Schaeffer has seen the offense improve in several major offensive categories – with growth still on the horizon. To do this, spots 6-9 in the starting lineup change by the game -- with an eye toward in-game substitutions.
The current Rockies roster has a pair of switch-hitters -- Carrigg and Adael Amador -- and had three before Willi Castro went to the injured list with a left heel injury on Saturday.
“I’ve evolved in my thought process – especially when you get to the big leagues and the late-game matchups are so important,” Schaeffer said. “Especially the way our team is built, we need the best matchups. We’ve been doing it all year.”
Veen is clear about what is expected.
“I like doing whatever I can to help the team win,” he said. “Every game you might get one or two moments to make an impact, and I feel like that was one of my moments right there.”