There are two types of “best shape of his life” spring training stories.
The first is when a 33-year-old utility infielder loses six pounds and now hits .217 instead of .209.
The second is when a former Top 10 overall pick shows up about 40 pounds heavier, fully sober, talking openly about addiction, and suddenly looks like he could play middle linebacker if this whole baseball thing does not work out.
Zac Veen is firmly in the second group.
And it might quietly be one of the most important Rockies storylines heading into 2026.
Earlier this week, Veen admitted publicly that he had been dealing with a substance abuse problem for years during the early part of his pro career. Not vague clubhouse speak. Not “off the field struggles.” He just said it. He had a problem and getting sober this offseason forced him to completely change how he lives and trains.
Which explains why he showed up to camp looking like an entirely different person.
Reports out of Arizona have him in the mid 240s after finishing last season right around 200. This is not a tweak. This is a full physical reset that came with a complete overhaul of his routine. Sleep. Diet. Lifting. All of it.
If you have followed the Zac Veen timeline since he was taken ninth overall in 2020, the question of talent has never really been the issue. A 6-foot-4 left-handed swing and speed once he gets moving. The kind of frame that makes you start projecting 25 homers and 20 steals without trying too hard.
But the results have come in flashes.
There were stretches in the minors where he looked like he figured it out. Then injuries hit. Then timing disappeared. Then it would come back again for a few weeks. He finally got a short look in the majors last year and hit .118 in 12 games, which is not exactly how you want to introduce yourself to Coors Field.
Late in the season, though, after returning from injury in Triple A, he started to look more settled. He hit .289 with a .354 on-base and a .468 slug. The swing decisions looked calmer. He was driving the ball the other way instead of rolling over pitches he used to chase.
Now the Rockies are looking at a 24-year-old former first-round pick with the same athleticism but a completely different physical base and lifestyle.
Which they really need to work.
Colorado lost 119 games last season. At some point a rebuild has to produce an everyday player and not just another guy who gets hot in Albuquerque for six weeks.
Nobody expects Veen to walk into the Opening Day lineup and anchor anything this year. But the range of outcomes suddenly feels real again.
Maybe the added strength turns warning track contact into damage. Maybe the new routine shows up in swing decisions. Maybe the hit tool stabilizes enough for the power speed mix to matter.
Or maybe he is back in Triple A by June still trying to put it all together.
But for the first time since he signed, the conversation around Zac Veen is not just about projection. It is about whether a real change off the field is about to show up in the box score.
And those are the spring training stories that actually matter.