Analysis: Should the Rockies be fixating their hopes on unproven outfield prospects?

Dec. 12—The Rockies' hope for the future is fixated on their young outfield prospects.

The Rockies used their top draft picks in 2020 and 2021 to mold their future outfield, selecting Zac Veen then Benny Montgomery. Brenton Doyle, a fourth round pick in 2019, has emerged as part of their plan as well. None, though, have played above Triple-A, with Doyle only squeaking out nine games there at the end of the year.

With the outfield, especially centerfield, market shrinking daily, the Rockies may have to rely on their homegrown talent sooner rather than later.

Are they going to pan out as the Rockies hoped? Or should they spend the money now to help them contend with the NL West?

A look at how Veen, Montgomery and Doyle are doing, and what their future might look like:

A star in the making?

Veen, their No. 1 prospect, has all the makings to be a star. He was the darling of the Arizona Fall League, flashing his smile and stealing bags like a kid just playing pick-up ball.

So when might that sparkling personality make an appearance at 20th and Blake?

"Zac has to figure out the Eastern League first," general manager Bill Schmidt said at the Winter Meetings last week. "Zac will tell us when he's ready. ... It'll be up to him."

Safe to say you can cross him off the opening day roster predictions. A debut this season, though, is not out of the question.

Veen spent most of last year in High-A, where he hit .269 with 50 stolen bases, earning him a place in the Future's game. He struggled once he got to Hartford though, batting only .177 with just five stolen bases in his 34 games in Double-A.

The Rockies, though, aren't concerned. In fact, they liked that their future star got knocked down a few pegs.

"It was good for him to get his ass kicked," director of player development Chris Forbes said.

Veen still has things to perfect before he's big league ready, including his footwork, throwing technique and timing at the plate. They love his aggressiveness but need him to be smarter so he isn't getting thrown out as much.

At this point, he could still be a centerfielder, but he's expected to grow out of the position soon. His diet has been a challenge — he's had trouble eating enough food to maintain himself — and they expect him to move to a corner spot once he's able to add more muscle.

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"He's got the tool package," Forbes said. "There's exponential growth. We have obviously what we consider hopefully an All-Star player in the big leagues, but we have to refine these certain techniques."

'He looks like a T Rex'

Montgomery has a playing style that reminds Forbes of T Rex. They don't care though, as long as it's not hurting the team. Think of Hunter Pence, who spent most of his career with the Giants. Pence, like Montgomery, had a wild swing.

And, like Pence, the Rockies are confident that Montgomery can be successful even with his unorthodox mechanics.

"You got to win ugly, we're the Rockies," Forbes said.

This was a year of learning for Montgomery. It was his first full professional season, and little lessons, even as simple as proper warm-up procedures, were brand new to him. But all the pieces started to come together in the second half of the season. He has speed, can play a mean centerfield — even if it's not pretty — and his hitting is coming along.

He had some injuries this year — the grind of his first professional season taking its toll — but he still hit .313 with six home runs in 56 games with Fresno.

"The second half, there was a stretch of six weeks where he was the best player on the team everywhere we put him," Forbes said. "He did something every day to impact the team."

Montgomery, similar to Veen, still has some muscle he needs to pack on. They think, though, that his skills will allow him to stay in centerfield even as he grows.

A golden candidate

Brenton Doyle is probably the least known of the three, but the closest to the majors. The pride of Division II Shepherd University, Doyle scores high on all five traditional tools. He won a minor league gold glove in 2021 and was nominated again in 2022.

He has all the makings to be a major league centerfielder.

"I could see him this year," Forbes said. "It's just the bat, he's still adjusting."

It was a season of adjustments for Doyle, who spent the majority of his time in Hartford but squeaked out a few games in Triple-A. The Rockies needed to see him free up his swing and change his hand position. They also wanted his in-game awareness at the plate to improve so that his third at-bat against a starter was better than his first.

They saw enough to add him to their 40-man roster. And if the Rockies don't add another centerfielder this offseason — which is looking more and more likely as targets fall off the board — Doyle could find himself in the running for a spot early next season.

"He's just such a good defender. He's instinctual and athletic, with that arm it plays," Forbes said.