If there’s one thing the Colorado Rockies always do right, it’s their defense. This year, backed by some young swag and plenty of diving catches, the Colorado Rockies outfield has a chance to be one of the best we’ve ever seen.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The desert rain drapes a drowsy atmosphere over Scottsdale before the Rockies’ Spring Training night game against the Texas Rangers–which was eventually canceled.
In an otherwise tranquil clubhouse serenaded by twangy country music, a table featuring Colorado’s top outfield talent erupts with laughter and jovial arguments during a game of Connect Four.
Their play on the diamond is personified through a simple board game; competitive, fast and loud.
“Something as dumb as that over there, that all just creates that brotherhood,” outfielder Sean Bouchard said, pointing to the game table. “You see how much guys really get into stuff and kind of joking around with each other and playing with each other.”
The tightness of this group can be felt from Bouchard, who is in his sixth Spring Training with the Rockies, to Zac Veen, the organization’s eighth-ranked prospect, in his first year of big league camp.
“All those guys are great guys,” Veen said. “[They’re] very entertaining to watch and very entertaining to know as humans … it’s very cool to be a part of.”
Veen recently went viral on social media for his animated bat flip against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a Spring Training game. Paired with his bleach blonde hair and bright purple spikes, it’s easy to mistake his approach to the game as eye wash. But that’s far from the truth.
“We don’t have anybody who doesn’t have a team first approach. I think that all the guys put each other first,” said 26-year-old Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones. “It’s not a ‘look at me’ type of thing. It’s more, we’re going out there having fun [and we] get to show up and be around a bunch of your best friends and hang out.”
That mindset is, ideally, what someone would want out of a unit with flashy young talent. But sometimes, it’s nice to have a wildcard or two giving a pulse to the lineup. Especially for a team like the Rockies whose lackluster offense in 2024 produced the lowest team OPS in the franchise’s history (.704) en route to their second 100-loss season in a row.
Veen’s personality plays the part perfectly.
“He’s definitely a question mark sometimes, you really never know what you’re going to get,” said 23-year-old outfielder Jordan Beck with a smile. “Sometimes it might need to be like, ‘hey cut it down a little bit,’ But at the same time, we need that energy.”
Manager Bud Black, like the fans, just wants Veen to be healthy so we can watch the enthusiasm unfold in games. Though he may need to corral his personality on the field, the coaching staff isn’t going to try and change a thing about him.
While Black evaluates Veen, who is battling for a spot on the 40-man roster after injuries plagued two minor league seasons, Jones and Beck help make the clubhouse glow.
Their colorful banter, but also their tenacious work ethic transform the glow into a guiding light that leads the organization to where it wants to go.
“Obviously we’ve struggled in the past, but we’ve still been able to keep a positive mindset and have fun,” Jones said. “It’s easy for someone on the outside to think that we don’t care, we’re not working hard and that couldn’t be further from the truth. I think that we just want to put our nose down and grind … and have it not be the team that rolls over.”
After earning a Gold Glove in his second major league season and solidifying his spot as the starting center fielder, Brenton Doyle became the main voice to instill that mindset to his corner outfielders.
Doyle is workshopping how he and his fellow outfielders can meet this expectation while taking influence from recently-retired Rockies legend Charlie Blackmon as organically as possible.
“This year, I want to be a little bit more vocal and try to get some more vocal leadership into it and really try to rally whenever I can,” Doyle said. “I think it’s gonna be a cool testament to prove that I can be both lead by example and [be] a vocal leader.”
As Doyle navigates his role as a leader, he does so with confidence in his teammates. For him, the Rockies outfield stacks up against anyone in Major League Baseball.
“I think it’s one of the best in the league, for sure,” Doyle said. “I was at the Gold Glove thing in New York this past off season and I was surprised the Rockies didn’t win the team awards … I think our outfield is that good.”
Though the record hasn’t shown it quite yet, a certain standard has been set in this group. For Veen, the high fives after diving plays are nice, but that type of effort is expected. Their second-to-none support system in the outfield bridges the lively personas with hungry competition.
As the chips begin to fall across all rosters in the 2025 Spring Training season and the Rockies put their positional checkers in a row, the connection among the kids in the outfield holds strong.
