近距离内射合集

The bat does its job before Zac Veen ever steps inside the batter鈥檚 box.

As he鈥檚 done since sometime around his high school playing days, right before he starts taking a few practice cuts to warm up in the batter鈥檚 box, Veen flips his bat and uses one end of it to draw a smiley face in the dirt.

It has nothing to do with baseball strategy.

It has everything do with perspective.

鈥淚鈥檝e always loved the idea of it,鈥� Veen said when asked about his affinity for smiley faces 鈥� be it the batter鈥檚 box variety, the happy face hanging from a gold chain around his neck, the happy face leg tattoo or even the one he seems to wear on his face every day.

鈥淚 think there鈥檚 always been a little bit of a deeper meaning for me. I think I鈥檝e definitely gone through a lot of hard times in my life and always just smiled through it. That鈥檚 kind of what it means to me. These injuries, same thing. (Just) smiling my way through it.鈥�

The 22-year-old outfielder making his Triple-A debut this week for the Albuquerque Isotopes has long been considered one of the key 鈥� a couple years ago some may have argued THE key 鈥� piece of the Rockies鈥� future since being drafted No. 9 overall in 2020 out of Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Florida.

Despite his relatively young age, there are some who feel Veen鈥檚 journey from high school phenom to first Triple-A call-up was too slow.

Veen was, after all, ranked by some as the top high school baseball prospect in the country when he was drafted and landed a $5 million signing bonus. He was at one point the organization鈥檚 No. 1 prospect and top 20 in all of baseball.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases in the 2022 All-Star Futures Game played in Dodger鈥檚 Stadium in Los Angeles (all while wearing one cleat painted with a Rockies theme and the other yellow with smiley faces and a 鈥減ositive vibes鈥� message). He measures out as one of the more versatile, all-around five tool prospects in the game in the past several years.

Veen is now the Rockies鈥� No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The urgency is starting to pick up a little bit to see him become a regular in the Big Leagues maybe as early as next season.

鈥淚 want to be there as soon as possible,鈥� Veen admits, 鈥�... but right now I鈥檓 just trying to take it all in from the vets and the guys who have been in the show already (who are here in Albuquerque). Just trying to gather as much info from them as I can.鈥�

The organization fully believes he can still reach his full potential.

First, he was drafted during a season when Minor League Baseball was shut down for COVID, forcing him to spend a usually transformative year for any draftee, but especially a teenager drafted out of high school, away from coaches and daily training.

No worries, he says.

鈥淚 think everything always works out for a reason,鈥� Veen said of being drafted in that COVID season. 鈥淚 think that taught me to be a little bit more patient, which I鈥檓 still working on this day. And there鈥檚 always a silver lining.鈥�

Then came the injuries.

Veen tried playing through the 2022 season with a left wrist injury that the organization now says adversely affected his swing mechanics. In June 2023, surgery on that wrist ended the season after just 46 games. This season, in addition to the recovery from the wrist surgery, there have been back and thumb injuries slowing the progress.

He鈥檚 not going to dwell on it.

鈥淢entally, I feel healthy. One hundred percent,鈥� Veen said. 鈥淧hysically, I mean your body鈥檚 gonna deal with some stuff. And it鈥檚 easier for me mentally to say that I鈥檓 healthy and maybe have some aches and pains going on, but I鈥檓 good. I鈥檓 good, I鈥檓 ready to go.鈥�

Wednesday, he suited up for the fourth time with the Isotopes knowing his baseball goals are all still very much in front of him. He just has to approach it with the right mindset.

鈥淚鈥檓 just grateful to be playing again, grateful to be playing with my teammates and coaches here,鈥� Veen said. 鈥�... I think everybody knows my ultimate goal, and as well as everybody else I鈥檓 playing with鈥檚 goal. So (I鈥檓) just having fun every day.鈥�