Hailing from the Daytona Beach area of Florida, Veen performed consistently well throughout the summer showcase circuit heading into his senior year of high school to put him firmly on the radar. That, plus a hot start to his spring, turned out to be very important when the season shut down early, allowing him to leapfrog other prep bats and become the highest-ranked high school position player in the class and the second one taken, going to the Rockies at No. 9 overall and signing for $5 million, just a touch above pick value
Veen has the kind of left-handed swing that scouts can dream on, all coming from a projectable 6-foot-4 frame that can definitely add strength. He's more hit over power in games with excellent bat speed, especially because he utilizes a spread out stance, but he'll show off big-time power in batting practice when he stands more upright and creates leverage, showing the ability to loft the ball consistently. He's reminded some of Cody Bellinger offensively and has drawn some Kyle Tucker comps as well, though he's not quite as athletic.
A solid average runner underway, Veen played center field in high school, but is probably better suited for a corner spot. He has enough arm to play right, with the power potential to profile there as well.
There have been high school outfielders in the Class of 2020 who have been "famous" for a lot longer than Veen, a Daytona Beach-area standout. While he was the 2018 PG WWBA Underclass World Championship MVP a year ago, it really wasn't until he was arguably the most consistent performer on this past summer's showcase circuit that he jumped up Draft boards. With a hot start to his spring, he kept soaring up lists to be considered the top high school bat in the class.
Veen has the kind of left-handed swing that scouts can dream on, all coming from a projectable 6-foot-4 frame that can definitely add strength. He's more hit over power in games with excellent bat speed, especially because he utilizes a spread out stance, but he'll show off big-time power in batting practice when he stands more upright and creates leverage, showing the ability to loft the ball consistently. He's reminded some of Cody Bellinger offensively and has drawn some Kyle Tucker comps as well, though he's not quite as athletic.
A solid average runner underway, Veen plays center field now, but is probably better suited for a corner spot. The Florida recruit is athletic enough with enough arm to profile in right, where his power potential could be a fit as well. If he continues to swing the bat like he did over the summer, he could very well figure into first-round conversations. His step forward at the start of the 2020 season, picking up from where he left off over the summer, has him very much in conversations among teams picking in the top 10.
Ever since going No. 9 overall as one of the best high school hitters in the 2020 Draft class, Veen has shown off very impressive raw tools, and often the ability to use them in games. His first signs of real struggle came when he got to Double-A in 2022 at age 20. A strong Arizona Fall League seemed to hit the reset button for him to head into 2023, but he’s had trouble staying healthy since. He played just 46 games in 2023 due to wrist surgery and while he performed a bit better in '24 (and reached Triple-A for the first time to earn a spot on the 40-man roster), thumb and back issues limited him to 65 games for the year.
The 23-year-old outfielder still offers plenty of projection in his 6-foot-3 frame and game, if he can stay on the field. His 2023 wrist injury definitely wreaked some havoc with his swing mechanics, but it was encouraging that he started to get to some of his power again in '24, albeit sporadically. He’ll have to be cognizant of not trying to get to too much loft, something that has happened in the past, also the reason why his strikeout rate is north of 25 percent at the upper levels. Earlier in his career, he offered better bat-to-ball skills.
A solid runner who squeezes every ounce of his speed by being aggressive with good instincts on the basepaths, Veen probably fits best in an outfield corner if he were to settle in as a regular. He’ll see time in all three outfield spots to provide options for when the need arises, but more than anything, he has to show that he can answer the bell over the course of a full, healthy season.
Veen was the top-ranked high school player in the 2020 Draft class, going one pick behind fellow prep outfielder Robert Hassell III to the Rockies and getting $5 million as the No. 9 overall pick. A solid first full year with Single-A Fresno (.901 OPS) raised the bar and he came out of the chute well in 2022, hitting 11 homers and stealing 50 bases in 92 games with High-A Spokane before struggling after a promotion to Double-A. He reversed that with a solid Arizona Fall League performance but couldn’t carry that over back with Hartford in 2023 as wrist surgery ended his season after just 46 games.
When he’s healthy, Veen has shown the ability to do a lot of things well on the baseball field. Still only 22 years old for all of the 2024 season, there is plenty of projection in the 6-foot-3 left-handed-hitting outfielder. It’s hard to know exactly what his power potential is because his attempts to play through his wrist injury changed his mechanics. The Rockies like where his swing is now, staying more on a plane; but when his top hand wrist was hurt, he couldn’t finish balls and had gotten way too steep with his swing.
While Veen has above-average pure run speed, his instincts and aggressiveness on the bases make him a plus basestealing threat. He’s improved defensively and should see time in both outfield corners, with the organization excited to see what a truly healthy Veen can do at the upper levels.
The first seven selections in the pandemic-shortened 2020 Draft were college players. The Padres took the first high schooler off the board at No. 8 (OF Robert Hassell III) and the Rockies doubled up on prep outfielders by taking Veen out of the Florida high school ranks. He showed what the fuss was about by posting a .901 OPS with 15 homers and 36 steals in his first full season and hit well enough in High-A in 2022 to earn a bump to Double-A, where he struggled. He finished off on a high note by hitting .333 with 16 steals in 21 Arizona Fall League games. He was off to a slow start back with Hartford in 2023, when surgery to repair his left extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendon, an issue he had been trying to play through since the second half of 2022, ended his season.
Though he’s reached the upper levels, there’s still a lot of projection in the tall, lanky left-handed hitter. He’s shown the ability to hit the ball hard to all fields, and when he’s on time, there’s plenty of juice. There should be more over-the-fence power as he adds strength to his 6-foot-4 frame. He’s shown a solid approach, with an ability to draw walks, and his strikeout rate actually went down a tick in 2022 despite the fact he got out of his approach in Double-A, struggling especially against breaking stuff.
Veen generally is thought to have above-average speed, though he did record some plus sprint times in the AFL. Combine that with excellent instincts and a passion for baserunning and he’s become a legitimate threat to steal. He’s improved his defense and looks very much like the protypical athletic right fielder, one who will grow into the power and run production teams like to see from the outfield corner.
Despite having a pandemic-shortened senior season of high school in Florida's Daytona Beach, Veen went from being a solid prospect to one of the best prep players in the country, leading to his selection at No. 9 overall by the Rockies in the 2020 Draft. They didn’t get to really see what Veen was capable of until he made his pro debut in 2021, and he didn’t disappoint, posting a .301/.399/.501 line and helping Fresno reach the Low-A West playoffs.
Though Veen finished his first full season with 15 homers and 36 steals, he might still be scratching the surface of his offensive potential. The left-handed hitter has a very sustainable swing that did not require a ton of tinkering, though an ability to stay on his legs more and not lunge enabled him to start driving the ball more consistently as the 2021 season wore on. When he’s balanced and on time, he has power to all fields, with more to come as he matures. His ability to not carry over poor at-bats should serve him well.
While he might have a smidge above-average speed as a runner, Veen is super-aggressive on the basepaths, showing an affinity for stealing bases and taking the extra base. He also dedicated himself to his corner outfield play and liked showing of his plus arm in the process. A natural leader, Veen has the chance to become an elite-level corner outfielder in the big leagues if he continues to follow this development path.
A product of Spruce Creek High School in the Daytona Beach area in Florida, a school that previously had just one draftee, Veen came out of the summer showcase circuit as a solid prospect for the Class of 2020, an outfielder who ranked No. 22 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Draft prospects the December before the Draft. The 2020 season may have been cut short, but Veen made the most of it, coming out on fire and jumping all the way up to No. 7 by the time the Draft rolled around. He ended up being the second prep bat taken, going No. 9 overall and signing with the Rockies before making his unofficial pro debut in instructional league play.
Long and lean, Veen has already shown off plus hitting ability and plus raw power, with much more to come as he fills out his projectable 6-foot-4 frame. The left-handed hitter has a pretty swing with plus bat speed and can create leverage and loft when he stands more upright, drawing some Cody Bellinger comps along the way.
A good athlete who is a solid average runner, Veen has played center field in the past and the Rockies certainly could let him play up the middle until he shows he can’t. He has the arm, and the future offensive profile, to look very good in right field should he slow down enough to necessitate the move.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
