The Colorado Rockies selected two high school standouts in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft Wednesday night.
With the No. 9 overall pick, general manager Jeff Bridich picked outfielder Zac Veen out of Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Florida.
"I was excited, I know they do a good job developing hitters, the ball flies there so hopefully I'll be there in a couple of years and win a world series," Veen said.
The 6'4," 190-pound 18-year-old left-hander batted .500 with 15 runs, four doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and 17 stolen bases prior to the cancellation of the remainder of the season in which his Hawks got off to a 10-1 start. In 2019, he led the Hawks with a .414 batting average with 29 extra-base hits, 26 walks and 32 stolen bases.
On May 21, Veen was named the Gatorade Florida Baseball Player of the Year for 2019-20, and was a 2019 Perfect Game All-American. He was also selected to play in the 2020 Under Armour All-American Game and the Perfect Game All-America Classic. He was also ranked by Prep Baseball Report as the top recruit in the class of 2020.
In the compensatory round, the Rockies tabbed Woodlands High School (TX) catcher Drew Romo with the 35th overall pick. It is the highest the organization has drafted a player at the position in team history.
The 6'1," 205-pound switch-hitter batted .232 with six extra-base hits, 11 RBI and 11 runs scored prior to the cancellation of his senior season at The Woodlands. As a junior in 2019, Romo batted .397 with 17 doubles, four home runs and 35 RBI en route to being named to the Texas Baseball Coaches Association Class 6A All-State Team. Rated as one of the best defensive catchers in the 2020 Draft, the LSU-commit was the starting catcher for the United States’ 18-and-under national team for each of the past two years.
With one round in the books, the MLB Draft will conclude Thursday with rounds 2-5.
