Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Eric Karros attended UCLA before spending parts of 14 years in the big leagues. Both of his sons also have gone on to play for the Bruins -- Jared, a right-handed pitcher who the Dodgers took in the 16th round of the 2022 Draft, and Kyle, a corner infielder like his dad. The younger Karros had a rough Cape Cod League and used it as motivation to put together a very solid junior season in 2023, though he was slowed temporarily by an ankle injury.

After his Cape experience, Karros came back to southern California and got to work, adding 15 pounds of strength to his frame. He changed his setup at the plate, utilizing a more closed-off stance. Now he uses the big part of the field well and has shown he can backspin the ball the other way to right-center field. He’s cut down on his swing-and-miss and rarely strikes out. With an advanced approach and a willingness to draw walks, he should be able to continue to tap into his plus raw power. 

While the ankle injury slowed him down and limited his mobility, a healthy Karros has shown he’s more athletic and rangy than he had been in past years. He has a plus arm and most feel he has all the tools to stick at the hot corner at the next level. He’s become one of the better college bats out west, one who could easily go a few rounds earlier than his dad, a sixth-rounder in 1988.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

Sometimes an injury during a Draft year can work to a team’s benefit. The Rockies think that might be the case with them and Karros. Eric’s son was off to a very good start to his junior season at UCLA until an ankle injury really slowed him down. If that hadn’t happened, perhaps he wouldn’t have been available for Colorado to take in the fifth round of the 2023 Draft. He had a terrific first full year with High-A Spokane, helping the club win the Northwest League title and would have won the Triple Crown if teammate Cole Carrigg hadn’t gone on a home run tear late in the year, taking home Northwest League MVP honors in the process.

Karros had made some adjustments in his setup at the plate with the Bruins before he got hurt and they’ve transferred well thus far. He absolutely punishes fastballs and has shown an ability to make hard contact to all fields. He’ll have to improve his ability to do damage against breaking stuff, but overall kept his strikeouts in check and drew a healthy amount of walks. It’s more extra-base thump than home run juice right now, but he can hit the ball out more to his pull side and has shown some ability to backspin the ball the other way.

Karros’ defense at third base for Spokane was good enough to earn him a Minor League Gold Glove Award, with a plus arm and solid agility, especially given his 6-foot-5 frame. The instincts of someone who grew up around the game stand out, and a little more strength to provide more impact could make him a regular at the hot corner in the future.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

The Karros family has become a UCLA dynasty. Eric, of course, went there before a long big league career. His two sons also attended college there: Jared, a right-hander drafted by the Dodgers in 2022 and Kyle, who went in the fifth round of the 2023 Draft to the Rockies. A three-year starter for the Bruins, the youngest Karros shook off a bad stint in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2022 and started well in his Draft season back at school until an ankle injury hampered him. But the Rockies valued him enough to take him on Day 2, sandwiched in between a run of four college arms they selected in those rounds.

Before he got hurt, Karros was using the 15 pounds of strength he had added to good effect at UCLA. He also was utilizing a more closed-off stance and has shown the ability to use the big part of the field well and make a ton of contact. His strikeout rate dropped while his walk rate improved, and while he hasn’t put up big power numbers, he can backspin the ball the other way and his approach should help him tap into his raw power.

The work that Karros did on his conditioning also made him a better defender at third. His plus arm always worked from the hot corner and his added agility and ranginess gives him every chance to stay there at this level. But he's going to have to go out and prove he can impact the ball enough to profile as an everyday player at the infield corner.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

Eric Karros attended UCLA before spending parts of 14 years in the big leagues. Both of his sons also went on to play for the Bruins -- Jared, a right-handed pitcher who the Dodgers took in the 16th round of the 2022 Draft, and Kyle, a corner infielder like his dad. The younger Karros had a rough Cape Cod League and used it as motivation to start a very solid junior season in 2023, though an ankle injury shelved him temporarily and slowed him upon his return, but the Rockies saw enough to draft him in the fifth round.

After his Cape experience, Karros came back to southern California and got to work, adding 15 pounds of strength to his frame. He changed his setup at the plate, utilizing a more closed-off stance. When healthy and locked in, he uses the big part of the field well and has shown he can backspin the ball the other way to right-center field. He cut down on his swing-and-miss and rarely strikes out. With an advanced approach and a willingness to draw walks, he should be able to continue to tap into his plus raw power. 

While the ankle injury slowed him down and limited his mobility, a healthy Karros has shown he’s more athletic and rangy than he had been in past years. He has a plus arm and most feel he has all the tools to stick at the hot corner at the next level. Early on, he looked like one of the better college bats out west and beat his dad, who was a sixth-rounder in 1988, by one round.

Awards

Baseball America High Class A All-Star

Year	Team
2024

NWL Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2024

NWL Most Valuable Player

Year	Team
2024

NWL Player of the Week

Week	Team
06/30/2024

NWL Player of the Month

Month	Team
04/2024

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/06/2025	activated 3B Kyle Karros.
	01/24/2025	Colorado Rockies invited non-roster 3B Kyle Karros to spring training.
	04/01/2024	3B Kyle Karros assigned to Spokane Indians from Fresno Grizzlies.
	03/07/2024	Colorado Rockies Prospects activated 3B Kyle Karros.
	03/03/2024	3B Kyle Karros roster status changed by Colorado Rockies.
	03/03/2024	3B Kyle Karros assigned to Colorado Rockies.
	08/15/2023	3B Kyle Karros assigned to Fresno Grizzlies from ACL Rockies.
	07/25/2023	3B Kyle Karros assigned to ACL Rockies.
	07/16/2023	Colorado Rockies signed 3B Kyle Karros.
	06/15/2023	3B Kyle Karros assigned to College Workout.
	03/01/2022	3B Kyle Karros and assigned to UCLA Bruins.
	07/19/2019	3B Kyle Karros assigned to UA National.
	07/19/2019	3B Kyle Karros assigned to UA National.