'Just be you’: Rox prospect Karros soaking in 1st Spring Training

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A lifetime spent around Major League clubhouses with his father meant many cool experiences for Kyle Karros.

Now that Karros, a third baseman who MLB Pipeline ranks as the Rockies’ No. 21 prospect, is in his first Major League Spring Training, he’s learning the importance of being cool, himself.

Karros, 22, a 2023 fifth-round Draft pick from UCLA, entered Friday batting .400 (8-for-20) with two doubles, five RBIs and three walks against five strikeouts. The spring is a strong follow-up to his Northwest League Most Valuable Player performance with High-A Spokane in 2024, his first full pro season.

Beyond the numbers, Karros -- who observed the big league life growing up while his father, Eric Karros, played his 14-season career, mostly with the Dodgers -- has found value in learning the preparation methods of Major Leaguers. He will carry the lessons into the season, which is most likely to begin with Double-A Hartford.

• Hey, fam! Dodgers, Rockies send Karros bros. out to exchange lineup cards

“I came in with the intent just to learn a ton, whether it's on-the-field stuff or off the field,” Karros said. “The biggest thing I wanted to do was kind of see how they go about their everyday work. And I've seen it. It is very different from the Minor League way of things.”

Before unpacking what Karros means, the statement highlighted that he is capturing the purpose of teams inviting prospects to camp as non-roster players.

Rarely do such players make the Opening Day roster, regardless of their statistics. They need to keep building experience. Last year, the Rockies strategically kept Karros and No. 3 prospect Cole Carrigg in Spokane for the experience of being leaders on a championship team. Now Karros (and Carrigg, who was reassigned to Minor League camp on Wednesday) will be tested at higher levels.

The camp experience is to teach and test, and knock off some of the awe when the call comes. Karros is passing.

• Karros, Carrigg look to shine in Spring Breakout

“The thing that has stood out for the coaches and me is twofold,” manager Bud Black said. “The performance, both with the bat and with the glove, the baseball instincts -- we've heard that from player development, but it's always good to see it firsthand.

“Secondly, the maturity -- the presence as a player, how he goes about, a consistent nature. I think there's some leadership qualities that are going to emerge -- not only a player, but a guy that players really look to.”

Some of the performance was seen in two recent plate appearances -- a controlled swing for a bases-loaded, two-run double to left during the Rockies’ five-run eighth in their 6-1 victory over the Mariners on March 2, and a bases-loaded walk during a rally in their 8-4 win over the Angels the next day. They were the work of a young player batting to the situation, rather than swinging to impress.

Throughout his life, Karros has seen some of the game’s best players prepare. This year, he is gaining information about what he has seen. He credits Rockies veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon for the education during batting and fielding practice.

“I'm hitting with these guys, and they're launching balls all over the place, and it's very easy to get caught up in that,” Karros said. “For about the first week, I was trying to do the same thing. It was a talk with ‘Ry-Mac’ in the outfield while we're watching BP. He was like, ‘Don't compare yourself to other people. Just be you.’

“Since then, I’ve taken my BP at maybe a 30 or 40 percent effort level, just getting good spin on the ball, hitting it on a line. In the game, your effort levels naturally kind of ramp up. But I think the BP has been night and day.”

The same has occurred with fielding. The urge to take infield practice with max effort -- something that high school and college players may have to do in order just to make the throws -- has given way to the urge to slow down and make sure his fundamentals are correct, and will stay that way at game speed.

“I don't think Kyle needed much guidance, though,” McMahon said, smiling. “I've just tried to be open with him, you know, try to make him and some of the other young guys feel real comfortable being who they are.

“But the kid’s got a great head on his shoulders. He knows what he's doing. He's going about his work the right way, and he's been playing really well. Man, I think the future is bright for him.”