There are plenty of pressures that come from being the son of a major league baseball player.

For 14 years, including 12 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Eric Karros was a menace in the league. He clubbed 284 home runs and drove in over 1,000 runs while posting a career .779 OPS. His numbers may have gotten lost during the steroid-era, but Karros was one of the best hitting first baseman around during the 90s. It stands to reason that expectations would be high for his son.

The Colorado Rockies are quite familiar with Karros, as he plagued the team with more home runs than he hit against any one team, taking full advantage of the thin Colorado air. Perhaps knowing this well, general manager Bill Schmidt selected Karros’ son Kyle from UCLA in the fifth round of the 2023 draft.

Kyle Karros, 22, had all the makings of a solid player like his dad during his college career. The power wasn’t as eye-popping, but a solid plate approach and decent glove were good enough for the Rockies to take a chance and see if they could tap into the bloodline of a former enemy.

After a solid, albeit brief, showing in 2023 after he was drafted, Karros has taken the Northwest League by storm with the High-A Spokane Indians. In 114 games, Karros is slashing .313/.390/.491 with 14 home runs and 75 RBI. He leads the NWL is numerous offensive categories and is a leading candidate for MVP honors.

He’s managed to carve put a name for himself that doesn’t rely on his father’s credentials and legacy, but rather a strong work ethic and ability to play the game his way. Part of that came from having a hard conversation with his father about how he needs Eric Karros to be a supportive dad rather than an anxious coach that he was.

Join us as we dive into Kyle’s season, his relationship with his dad, his adjustments at the plate and more in this Rooftop Mingle, an interview that occurred in the Monday, August 26, Affected by Altitude Podcast.

Rocky Mountain Rooftop is the Colorado Rockies affiliate of Fans First Sports Network dedicated to covering all things Rockies. Our flagship podcast Affected by Altitude, hosted by Evan Lang and Skyler Timmins, covers all the happenings of the big league club. Other shows under the RMR banner include Every Rockie Ever and Rooftop Mingle featuring player interviews.

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