OF Zac Veen, Spruce Creek HS [FL]
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DoB: 12/12/2001. B/T: L/R
Commitment: Florida.
There might not have been a player with more first round helium than Zac Veen when the season came to a sudden stop. Not really a huge prospect at the start of the summer, he was a fringe first rounder by the time the summer closed, continued to rise in the fall, and had exploded onto the scene this spring as the Florida high school leagues were among the first to get going. Often compared to Cody Bellinger, Veen has firmly established himself as the best player in a strong Florida high school group this year and is the top high school hitter in the country. He's got power, he can get to it, he's got projection, and he's just fun to watch.
Veen can already hit, and he's getting better and better at it every day. A lanky kid at 6'4", he has a leveraged uppercut that looks a lot like Cody Bellinger's swing and that he has continued to refine and get more consistent with. He was more hit over power over the summer, finding the barrel consistently and showing that he wasn't afraid of advanced pitching, but more and more he's begun to show some real raw juice and the ability to blast baseballs a long way. It's exactly the trajectory you want to see out of a young kid like that, and there's a lot more power projection in there as he begins to fill out his frame. He's not the world's flashiest defender, but he gets the job done with a strong arm in right field and should be at least a net-neutral out there, rather than purely just a hitter.
The stoppage in play is definitely not what he needed, because the up arrow next to his name was getting bolder and bolder with every game, and his shorter track record might scare off some scouts drafting higher in the first round who feel more comfortable taking a more proven college player. There are also some minor swing and miss questions that scouts wanted to see addressed this spring. They're not a glaring weakness, as he does make consistent hard contact in games and against good competition, but some scouts weren't convinced enough to say with confidence he'll have an above average hit tool at the next level. Small qualms, but everything is magnified for the top hitters in the country, especially when the season is cut short in March.
Veen's helium looks like it will be more than enough to keep him high in the first round. Before the stoppage in play, he had rocketed into the middle of the first round discussion and was even getting some top ten buzz, buzz which has since turned into more of an inevitability. It seems his helium has continued to carry him throughout the pandemic, as he has been linked to numerous teams around the top ten, even as high as #2 to the Orioles if they want to cut an underslot deal. He profiles as a true impact bat with an immense ceiling, one that could produce 30 home runs annually with solid on-base percentages in the long run. Veen is committed to Florida and is the favorite to be the first high schooler off the board, hitter or pitcher.
Summer footage from the Perfect Game All American Classic (warmups)
Batting practice and game footage from the Under Armour All American Game
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