Karros' goal? Becoming one of MLB's top third basemen

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Kyle Karros is proud to be a third baseman at a time when the Rockies are making multipositional players cool.

Beyond catcher Hunter Goodman, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and center fielder Brenton Doyle, there’s the possibility that a cast of infielder-outfielders could rotate among the other spots.

Karros, 23, who showed promise late last season during a quick rise to the Majors, wants to resist the rotational pull.

While blowing through Double-A Hartford (.294/.399/.462 in 55 games) and Triple-A Albuquerque (.306/.368/.500 in 16 games) last season, the Rockies gave Karros a taste of first base -- eight total games.

“I’m trying to be the best version of myself at third,” said Karros, who debuted on Aug. 8 and hit .226 in 43 games while battling fatigue at the end of his second full professional season since being drafted in the fifth round out of UCLA in 2023.

“I’m always going to say that until I can’t play third -- I’m going to stay away from first base,” he added. “I believe I can be one of the best third basemen in the league.”

The Rockies have quietly had a solid tradition at the hot corner.

Likely Hall of Fame-bound Nolan Arenado, now with the Diamondbacks, won the first eight of his 10 career Gold Gloves and made five All-Star appearances in Purple Pinstripes.

Current special front-office assistant Vinny Castilla carried home three Silver Slugger Awards, made two All-Star appearances and won the 2004 National League RBI title in the second of his three stints with the club totaling nine seasons. Garrett Atkins exceeded 100 RBIs in ’06 and again in ’07, when the Rockies made their sole World Series appearance. Jeff Cirillo (’00) and Ryan McMahon (’24) have represented the club in All-Star Games.

It’s not as if Karros -- who went 2-for-3 with an RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases in Sunday afternoon’s 9-5 loss to the Rangers -- is unfamiliar with expectations. He is the son of former Major League first baseman and Dodger dignitary Eric Karros.

Karros helped Spokane win the High-A Northwest League in his first full year of 2024 and had a legitimately strong Minor League season in ’25. But with a thin Rockies system, part of his Major League callup was due to him being the best ready-or-not option after the team traded McMahon to the Yankees.

With the Rockies holding all of Karros’ Minor League options and with plenty of veterans who can step in, manager Warren Schaeffer does not have to put Karros at third. But Karros can make the decision for him.

The Karros that struggled through the end of the season -- the length of which he had never experienced -- is not the one that has shown up this year. Listed at 6-foot-5, he finished the season around 210 pounds, 10 pounds below where he had played at the end of college and in the Minors. He weighed in at 230 when reporting to camp.

“Last season was fun in that I learned a ton, and saw how much opportunity I was leaving on the table -- in the weight room and eating-wise,” Karros said. “And in the big leagues, you’re competing against 30-to-40-year-old men. I’m still growing some man strength, but I saw how much I was missing out on.”

A beefed-up Karros is a welcome sight.

“It was good to see Kyle last year,” Schaeffer said. “At the end of the season, he was down a bunch of weight. But he came in looking strong, looks great with the glove and he’s working with [new hitting coach] Brett Pill a lot.”

Lessons learned, he hopes to dig in his spikes -- at third base.

“I’m a pretty stubborn guy and I need to experience something for myself before really buying into it,” Karros said. “I experienced the altitude. I experienced the grind. Heading into the offseason, I took ownership of it.”

Different look for Beck
Jordan Beck played all but two of his 1,159 1/3 defensive innings in left field last season, with the other two coming in center. Against the Rangers on Sunday, he started in right (and also hit two doubles).

“JB needs to be ready to play both left and right at Coors Field,” Schaeffer said. “There’s a good chance that when Doyle is in center and [Jake] McCarthy and Beck are both in the lineup, that McCarthy is out in left field -- he has the speed factor for that, to cover that huge ground.”

A walk on the wild side
Rockies pitching -- much of it ticketed for Minor League affiliates -- walked 11 against seven strikeouts on Sunday. “Unacceptable” is how Schaeffer classified it, but he noted that two key relievers -- lefty Brennan Bernardino and righty Victor Vodnik -- were working on new pitches.

It was also the Rockies’ first Cactus League look at No. 20 prospect Welinton Herrera, 21, who represented the organization in last year’s Futures Game and had solid performances at Hartford and in the Arizona Fall League. Herrera gave up two runs on three hits and a walk, and struck out one -- and lived mostly in the 96 mph range with his fastball.

“Not enough strikes, but it was good to see ‘Wel’ out there for the first time to get his feet wet,” Schaeffer said. “We know he’s a really good pitcher, and he’s got an electric arm.”