Young Colorado Rockies Infielder Emerges as Upside Candidate Next Season

The Colorado Rockies need all hands on deck to turn this franchise around, and it starts with some internal, young hitters at the plate, such as this third baseman.

Sep 21, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; General wide angle view of Coors Field during the game between the Los Angeles Angels against the Colorado Rockies. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies begin their journey back to being a competitive ball club this season after a disastrous 2025 campaign. Residing in the NL West division is already hard enough, but anything above a 43-119 overall record is an improvement.

One of the major things the Rockies have to get better at in 2026 is their consistency at the plate. The pitching staff is a whole other story, but at the end of the day, the Rockies have a very hitter-friendly ballpark in Coors Field that they need to take advantage of, considering 81 of their games reside there.

One young hitter stands out for the Rockies franchise as someone who could emerge as an immediate difference maker in 2026.

Kyle Karros' Upside

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After trading veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees last season, the Rockies called up former fifth-round pick out of UCLA, Kyle Karros, to the big leagues. Making his debut in early August, Karros showcased why he could be an important piece to the Rockies in 2026.

Karros, son of former National League Rookie of the Year Eric Karros, finished 2025 hitting .226 at the dish in 137 at-bats, with one home run and nine RBIs. In the small sample size, Rockies fans should have optimism for Karros finding his footing in 2026.

Needing to lower his strikeout rate and finding ways to get on base more will be the aim of the game for Karros in 2026. The young third baseman has a natural hitting ability at the plate, which showed in his minor league numbers: .304 AVG, 21 home runs, 121 RBIs, 60 doubles in 237 games played.

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Baseball Reference projects Karros to finish 2026's campaign with six home runs, 26 RBIs, 10 doubles, one triple, and a .247 batting average in 278 plate appearances.

FanGraphs sees a little better for Karros in 2026, projecting him to smash nine home runs instead of six, drive in 48 RBIs, and do so with a .264 batting average and a 1.2 WAR. The positive WAR is projected to be the fourth-best on Colorado's roster.

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Karros needs to prove himself out of the gate in the early portion of 2026. The Rockies are going to need several players who can pick up steam early, but seeing that Karros has things to prove as a middle round pick, more plate appearances and opportunities to succeed should easily benefit the young hitter and the organization.

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