Let’s Talk About Kyle Karros

The panels that have most stayed with me from Rockies Fest 2025 are those that involved prospects, both pitchers and position players. For this newsletter, I’d like to focus on Kyle Karros, the Spokane Indians third baseman in 2024.

That’s Karros there in the middle.

Actually, Karros was on my mind before his afternoon panel. That morning, moderator Clint Hurdle had asked the pitching prospects to describe “the coolest thing“ they saw during the season. Here’s Chase Dollander’s answer:

I can't really pinpoint one moment, but I'd have to say, just watching Kyle Karros on third base. I mean, he won the minor league Gold Glove. Deserved it for a reason. That guy made so many great plays behind me and behind other pitchers. It was incredible.

That answer got my attention.

But before I get to Karro’s answers later in the day, it’s worth taking a minute to learn a bit more about the player who may well be Ryan McMahon’s successor at the hot corner.

Can You Describe His Background?

I can do that.

Probably, the first thing to know is that he’s the son of Erik Karros, who spent much of his 14-year MLB career as a first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also the 1992 NL Rookie of the Year. (Currently, Karros works as a sports broadcaster for Spectrum SportsNet LA, where he covers the Dodgers.)

Eric and his wife, Trish, have three children with sons Jared and Kyle both UCLA baseball alums. Jared, a pitcher, was drafted by the Dodgers in 2022. (I just want to add here, that has to be weird for Kyle being a Rockies in a household of Dodgers.)

Kyle was born on July 26, 2002, in Los Angeles. He attended Mira Costa High School before graduating and joining the UCLA Bruins. He finished his college career with a .276/.342/.407 slashline. (In addition, he completed a degree in sociology.)

He was drafted by the Rockies in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Karros spent only three weeks with the ACL Rockies before being promoted to Low-A Fresno on August 15. He finished 2023 with a .285/.397/.311 slashline that included four doubles, three stolen bases, and 17 RBI.

He spent all of 2024 with High-A Spokane. Karros got off to a torrid start. Over the first nine games, he slashed 324/.439/.529, getting his first home run — an inside-the-parker, no less) on April 13.

He stayed hot throughout April and in May was named the Northwest League Player of the Month. Karros, who batted third in the lineup, finished 2024 slashing .311/.390/.485. He led the Northwest League in hits (147), doubles (33), RBI (78), total bases (229), and batting average (among qualified hitters). Karros also hit 15 home runs.

In September, after the Indians earned their championship, Karros was named the Northwest League‘s MVP as well as an All-Star.

In addition to all that offense, Karros, a third baseman, was also awarded a Gold Glove. (To watch a Reel of his defensive highlights, click here. There are some nice catches.)

It was, in short, a very good 2024 for Kyle Karros.

What Did You Learn at Rockies Fest?

Karros was personable, admitting, among other things, that this was his first time and Denver and that Justin Turner is his favorite professional athlete.

“Kind of a weird one,“ Karros admitted, “but he‘s a stand-up dude, goes about everything the right way. And I was fortunate to kind of be around that clubhouse growing up, and he was always the one to be super good to me and kind of show me ropes.”

The “craziest” thing he saw in 2024? Cole Carrigg.

“I spent the entire year with him in Spokane,” Karros said, “and every single night, there's something new with that guy. He's an incredible baseball player. If anyone can go watch him, you should because you'll be entertained, impressed and confused by the end of the game because he's just a crazy ball player. So being with him every day, I definitely saw some stuff that I've never seen happen on the baseball field.”

There was some anxiety for Karros, however, as he waited to see if he would be promoted to Double-A Hartford. That did not happen. As Hurdle explained, “Kyle went through a season for us last year where he started and finished in the same spot, and the numbers were better than that. But based on organizational charts where people were at, we kept him in Spokane throughout the year.”

Still, Karros sees last year as “the best year of baseball I’ve ever played. I had the most fun playing it, and it felt really man good to be there the entire year from start to finish because I went through it all with that group.”

Then he added, “I mean, Hartford would have been cool, but I’m happy with how it all worked out.”

Karros was, by the way, at the plate when the Indians walked off with the championship. (He was hit by a pitch, walking Carrigg home for the winning run.)

That’s pretty cool.

So What’s Next?

Presumably, Karros will start 2025 with with the Yard Goats though first, he’ll attend spring training as a non-roster invite. He’s 23rd in Baseball America’s prospect rankings and 38th on FanGraphs’ list. Here’s Eric Longenhagen’s evaluation:

He’s a stiff-legged athlete whose upright manner of swinging leaves him very vulnerable to secondary stuff at the bottom of the zone. Karros’ carrying tool is his third base defense. He’s not explosive or rangy, but he’s incredibly smooth and capable of making great throws from all kinds of odd platforms. It’s important for Karros to add strength to his 6-foot-5 frame, as he needs to develop power to counter a below-average contact projection.

Longenhagen sees Karros, ultimately, as a bench player, arguing the hitter-friendly Spokane played a significant role in his offensive success.

Where Karros lands in Purple Row’s PuRPs rankings will be known soon.

I’m more bullish on Karros’ chances than Longenhagen is, but I guess we’ll know more when we see how he handles Double-A.

To my mind, he’s an exciting prospect I’ll be watching in the coming season.

(FWIW, Erik and Jared Karros both have Wikipedia pages, but Kyle does not. That may be something to address in the near term.)

What I’m Reading

• Joelle Milholm’s “Season-long Stay in Spokane Served up Special Year for Kyle Karros” (Purple Row) — I drafted this newsletter on Wednesday and learned this morning that my Purple Row colleague had written a similar piece. Still, one can never have too much Kyle Karros.

• Jeff Aberle’s “Colorado Rockies Prospects: No. 23, Zach Agnos” (Purple Row) — Agnos is another prospect I’m eager to track, and Aberle explains what the closer brings to the game. I interviewed him last spring and was impressed with his approach to the game. (We should see him at Coors this summer.)

• Kevin Henry’s “Kris Bryant Could Determine How Much Rockies Improve in 2025” (Just Baseball) — So much depends upon the former MVP. Will he have his first successful season in Denver? We’ll know soon enough.

• Patrick Saunders’ “Rockies Mailbag: Will Brenton Doyle Sign a Long-term Deal, a la Ezequiel Tovar?” (Denver Post) — Saunders suggest an extension may be in the works.

Closing Thoughts

And that’s it for this week.

The Rockies Instagrammed pics last week of a semi backed up to the Coors Field loading dock as the team begins making its way to Salt River Fields.

It’s happening!

As always, thanks for reading —

Renee

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Rockies Pitch is a newsletter that focuses on Colorado Rockies baseball. Find me on Bluesky at @Renee.Dechert.com.