Rockies' Veen snaps slump with 2-homer game

Zac Veen's recent struggles can most likely be attributed to the ups and downs of a lengthy baseball season but before his June could officially swoon, he did something about it.

Baseball's No. 29 overall prospect homered twice and drove in a season-high four runs to power High-A Spokane past visiting Hillsboro, 9-2, on Tuesday night. Veen's second-inning tater was his first in 44 at-bats dating back to May 29.

Frustration might be far too strong of a word, but the 20-year-old is not immune to his dip in power compared to last season.

"Yeah, [hitting fewer homers] has been in the back of my mind," Veen said. "But it's a new season and things are different. The ball doesn't fly [in the Northwest League] like it did in the California League, so, I'm trying to keep that in mind. I knew it would come and luckily today I put some good swings on the ball and they went out."

Veen's three-run homer capped a four-run frame and sent Spokane on its way. He cleared the fences again in the fifth, hammering a 2-0 pitch over the left-field fence for his seventh of the season. It was the second multihomer game of his career and first since last July 15 with Single-A Fresno.

His four RBIs equaled his output for the entire month of June spanning 11 games and 39 at-bats. Unsurprisingly, his lack of run production coincided with a 7-for-39 start to June. Veen entered the month batting .277/.382/.457, but after hitting 15 homers during his professional debut with Fresno, in 2021, Veen left the yard just once in April.

The Florida native dialed it up last month with four long balls, including three in his final 11 contests. However, the month of June was less kind to the ninth overall pick in the 2020 Draft. Veen entered Tuesday's game hitting .179 with a .535 OPS.

"Things have started to come around the last week or so," Veen explained. "I've felt really good at the plate but have just been hitting the ball right at people. My process has been good and I've been squaring the ball up ... just without any luck. It was nice to see some results tonight."

With Tuesday's power surge, Veen is back up to .260/.367/.427 with 18 extra-base hits, 34 RBIs in 53 games. The 6-foot-1, 190 pounder batted .301 with a .900 OPS, 46 extra-base hits, 75 RBIs and 36 stolen bases last year while also hitting for the cycle on Aug. 24.

"I learned a lot from last year," he said. "It's a long season and the biggest thing I took from it was that you have to take it one day at a time. There are so many ups and downs, I'm trying to just be as consistent as possible."

While the extra-base production has yet to match up in his first sojourn through the Northwest League, Veen's patience and speed combine to make him a dangerous talent. The lefty-swinging outfielder has swiped 22 bases in 23 attempts and continues to have a good eye at the plate, collecting 32 walks.

"I take a lot of pride in recognizing pitches. I'm okay with a walk," Veen said. "If [the opposition] pitches to me, I know I can do damage. To me, a walk has always been as good as a hit. That can easily turn into a double or even more once I get on base."