Kris Bryant and Zac Veen star to open the pitch clock era with a 12-5 win for the Colorado Rockies

SCOTTSDALE – It only took 24 hours for the conversation with Bud Black surrounding top outfield prospect Zac Veen to get back to the 21-year-old.

“He runs the bases hard, plays a good, solid outfield. And just the (physicality) of him now – he’s got a presence with his look,” Black said on Friday. “He’s got the hair out of the helmet. He’s got the headband. For a lot of people, a lot of fans, it might be a good look because it looks right.”

On Saturday, the first pitch he saw in his second at-bat of contest, Veen hammered a 93.5 mph fastball from Mitchell Stumpo onto the berm in right field during the Colorado Rockies’ 12-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Zac Veen has homered. pic.twitter.com/CuyLdk2S7I

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) February 25, 2023

“I was really excited,” the ninth-overall pick in 2020 said of his first Spring Training home run. “I stuck with my plan and I’m glad it worked out.”

Harold Castro started at second base and recorded a double and 2 RBI-triple. Elehuris Montero and Coco Montes also recorded two hits, the latter a two-run home run in the seventh.

Despite all the run scoring and the 10 walks between the two foes, the game wrapped in a convenient 3:03.

“For a game that had 17 runs scored and 27 hits, and pitching changes and mound visits, you can tell that the (pitch) clock helps,” Black said on the field after the win. “That game a year ago might have been a four-hour game. Serious.”

Kris Bryant Is Up And Running

In his first big league action since July 31 of last season, Kris Bryant was busy on his feet for a designated hitter. He went one-for-two with a run scored, hustling from first base to score on a Ryan McMahon double in the first inning.

“I felt fine running. I just felt slow,” Bryant said with a smile. “Figures that the first time in Spring Training doing that in the first inning. I guess that’s a good test for me.”

Kris Bryant had a successful and very healthy first game back in purple for the Rockies. pic.twitter.com/Ul1z7htoFh

— DNVR Rockies (@DNVR_Rockies) February 25, 2023

It was a good start for the 31-year-old to cast aside any doubth about his health after missing 120 games in 2022 with back issues and plantar fasciitis. 

“It’s good to get the first of everything out. First slide, the first at bat, first hit. All that,” Bryant shared. “I think today was super successful for me.”

Davis Debuts Twice

Noah Davis took the ball for the Colorado Rockies in the traditional Cactus League opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The two clubs that call Salt River Fields home have started every Spring Training with a game against one another since the facility opened in 2011.

“I told (pitching coach Darryl Scott) I wanted to be ready as soon as possible, get as many opportunities as I can early in camp while there’s innings to go around,” Davis said on Friday. “So I was really excited to hear the news and I’m ready to just go out and try and do my best.”

The results for the 25-year-old won’t be critical for his odds making the club at this point. He pitched 1.2 innings and gave up one run despite walking three, striking out one and giving up three hits.

It may not have been what Davis envisioned when manager Bud Black selected him to toe the slab on Saturday, but the result was an improvement on his Major League debut last season.

#Rockies call up RHP Noah Davis from Double-A Hartford. pic.twitter.com/XWkWg9pO8q

— DNVR Rockies (@DNVR_Rockies) September 16, 2022

“I had planned the first pitch in my big league career for a few years now and I knew it was going to be a slider no matter who it was. Got the first one in there dropped the slider in. Yeah, cool, strike one,” Davis recalled before quipping, “Threw the same exact pitch and obviously Cody Bellinger got a good piece of it. So maybe should have planned out the first couple pitches.”

Growing up 45 minutes away from Dodger Stadium made the moment a dream come true, regardless of the outcome. Invigorated by the moment in front of family and friends, Davis began his offseason two days after the season ended. He took some of the lessons shared by Scott and (bullpen coach) Reid Cornelius during sessions with the big league club and coupled it with time at Driveline Baseball in Scottsdale and at the Salt River Fields complex.

Though the organization still views Davis as a starting pitcher, more positive results this spring could make him a viable option for a role in the bullpen. 

The starting pitcher in the 2022 Cactus League opener for Colorado was Ty Blach, a left-handed starter that eventually made the Opening Day roster as a long reliever in the ‘pen, twirling 44.1 innings. 

Blach followed Davis and was scoreless over 1.1 frames. A pitcher who naturally works quicks, the Denver native welcomes the changes coming to MLB.

“It was something that I was used to in Triple-A,” Blach said of the pitch clock. “I spent a lot of time down there the second half of the year, so I kind of knew what to expect and I was pretty comfortable with it.”

New Rule Nonsense

What was new this year for the annual Rockies-Diamondbacks matchup was the implementation of news rules, such as larger bases, no infield shifting and a pitch clock that impacts both hitters and pitchers.

The game didn’t feel particularly fast past for the 10,183 in attendance, mostly due to the 17 runs scored by both teams. The action, however, was fast-paced.

Davis appeared to be working too quickly during the top of the first inning. With no runners on base, his motion to the plate would come between 3-7 seconds remaining With runners on base and with 20 seconds at his disposal, there would be 8-13 seconds remaining. 

Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson, who also debuted in 2022 after pitching much of the season with a pitch clock in the minors, also seemed to leave similar time on the clock during his two innings of work. The two starters combined to give up five runs in less than four innings, but by the time the 17th pitcher entered the game, it was clear that most pitchers work without having to worry about getting down to the final seconds.

There was aggressive base running early, but then that curtailed once Colorado’s lead began to grow. After Alan Trejo reached on a walk to open the second and took a large secondary lead on one particular Nelson pitch, Arizona catcher Carson Kelly threw down to first base and Trejo dove back safely. (The play was reviewed and was not overturned.) 

This back-and-forth could be common with pitchers limited to two disengagements (or pick-off attempts) and base paths shorter because of the large bases. In order to keep the opposing team’s running game in check, catchers may need to increase the amount of throws to first via the back-pick.

As Spring Training continues to roll on, more wrinkles to the new rules will become apparent.