Three Grizzlies Earn 2021 Low-A West Honors

Fresno, CA – Fresno Grizzlies manager Robinson Cancel, catcher Drew Romo, and outfielder Zac Veen earned Low-A West All-Star honors and league awards, Minor League Baseball announced Friday morning. Votes were casted by league broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives and select members of the media.

Robinson Cancel was named Low-A West Manager of the Year after leading the Grizzlies to a 74-41 record and earning a playoff spot in his inaugural season at the helm. The 74-41 record was the best in the Low-A West and fifth overall in all of Minor League Baseball. Cancel won his 200th game as a MiLB manager on May 19th versus San Jose and saw 14 players promoted throughout the season. Congratulations to Cancel on the award.

Drew Romo was tabbed as the top catcher in Low-A West after a fantastic first season in professional baseball. The Rockies #8 overall prospect appeared in 79 games, batting a team-best .314. Romo enjoyed a 21-game hit streak, spanning from July 6th to August 15th, the second longest in all of Low-A West. He would relish an inside-the-park homer on August 28th versus Modesto, the only instance of that feat for Fresno in 2021. Romo also stole 23 bases, the most ever by a Grizzlies catcher. Besides his ability at the plate, Romo also helped the Grizzlies pitching staff earn the lowest team-ERA in club history (3.79) and threw out 25 of 71 (.35%) possible baserunners. Congratulations to Romo on the award.

Zac Veen was selected as the Low-A West Top MLB Prospect and one of the best three league outfielders after an extraordinary first season in professional baseball. The Rockies top prospect led the Grizzlies in games (106), at-bats (399), OBP (.399), OPS (.900), hits (120), homers (15), doubles (27), RBI (75), runs (83) and walks (64). Veen also finished second on the club in slugging (.501) and stolen bases (36). His 36 steals put him in a tie for fifth place on the Grizzlies single-season list and his four swipes on September 3rd at Stockton tied him for the most steals in a single game (Emmanuel Burriss, 2011 and Romo, four days later).

Veen recorded the first cycle by a Grizzlies player at Chukchansi Park in team history on August 24th versus Modesto. He recorded a grand slam as a part of his cycle. The former first round pick also had a video-game like series against the Stockton Ports from July 12-18th. Veen went 12-for-18 (.667) with five homers, one double, 14 RBI, 12 runs, five walks, one hit-by-pitch and one stolen base. In the top of the fifth on July 17th, Veen singled to right to set the all-time California League/Low-A West record for reaching base safely 15 consecutive times. He broke Thad Bosleyʼs record of 14, set with the Salinas Angels in 1976. In that streak, Veen had 10 hits, four walks and one hit-by-pitch. Four of those 10 hits were homers. Congratulations to Veen on the award.

Besides the individuals listed above, both right handed pitcher Mitchell Kilkenny and outfielder Isaac Collins were selected as High-A West All Stars for their season performances with Spokane. The duo started their 2021 campaigns in Fresno before their promotions to High-A. Congratulations to Kilkenny and Collins.

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ABOUT THE FRESNO GRIZZLIES

The Fresno Grizzlies are the Low-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The team plays at Chukchansi Park in Downtown Fresno, which is also a year-round community venue, hosting a myriad of other special events beyond Grizzlies’ games, such as concerts, festivals, high school baseball, and over 100 non-profit community events every year. The Grizzlies enter the 2022 season - their 25th year in Fresno - featuring the same family-friendly and entertaining atmosphere fans have come to expect from the team.