For Louisville, Kentucky, native Matt Klein, 2025 was a year when two of his dreams came true.
The first took place in Omaha, Nebraska, as he joined his hometown and childhood favorite team in the College
World Series to put a cap on his collegiate career.
“I’ve got pictures of him as a baby. His favorite color is red. He knows nothing but Louisville. We have pictures of pictures of him in Louisville gear on the pitching mound. This is what he’s been more or less groomed for his whole life. This is what he’s dreamed of his whole life. To be here is absolutely amazing,” Klein’s mother Lisa told a local news outlet in June.
Klein, 22, grew up cheering for his local Louisville Cardinals. Committing to them out of high school was never in question, despite getting offers from nearby schools Cincinnati, Murray State, and Western Kentucky.
During his freshman year, Klein appeared in just 10 games, hitting .300/.444/.500 with a home run. However, Louisville missed the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. The next year he hit .297/.388/.492 with three home runs in 44 games—splitting time at catcher and first base—and Louisville made the ACC tournament… only to not get an invite to the College World Series.
Louisville had one of its best recent seasons in 2025 and made the College World Series for the first time since 2019 with Klein as their starting catcher. Klein started the season hitting .342 with three home runs until he was hit by a pitch and fractured his forearm. He was sidelined for over two months, but came back just in time to homer twice during regionals and help push his hometown team to Omaha.
“It was amazing. Being a hometown kid, that’s what you root for,” Klein told Purple Row at Fall Instructs. “That’s the whole reason you go to Louisville is to help your team succeed and go as far as you can. To be able to finally do that after three years was amazing.”
The Cardinals lost to Oregon State in the first round, but Klein finished his junior year hitting .310/.431/.509 with six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 31 RBIs, and more walks than strikeouts. Less than a month later, he heard his name called at the MLB draft, selected in the sixth round by the Colorado Rockies.
“I was just at home with a few of my friends and my family. We were on the coach watching the draft and sure enough, they called my name,” Klein recounted. “It was definitely a dream come true. It’s something you’ve always waited for and you’ve hoped for, but you never really know for certain until it actually happens. It was a great feeling.”
Klein has been praised for both his intelligence—completing his degree in just three seasons—as well as his leadership among teammates and ability to control the game from behind the plate.
“Klein has been doing this for a while he knows how to control the game.” said Tucker Biven, one of his battery-mates at Louisville.
When it comes to calling a game, Klein uses a flexible approach to play to the strength of his battery-mate.
“It depends on what my pitcher’s strengths are,” he told Purple Row. “How the at-bats are going, how the hitter is swinging, whether I feel like he’s on certain pitches. Most of the time it’s just thinking about what the pitcher’s strengths are and how we can utilize them the best way.”
Klein also recognizes the importance of building a relationship with his pitchers, something that has been stressed by former Rockies catchers such as Tony Wolters.
“It’s just being around them all the time, even in the small moments,” Klein explained. “Whether that’s eating lunch or sitting together just talking about things other than baseball. Gaining closer relationships off the field helps you on the field.”
As he embarks on his professional career, Klein isn’t just building relationships with his new teammates. He’s also adjusting to catching a higher level of pitching. Klein is no stranger to catching high-velocity pitches. His former Louisville teammate Patrick Forbes—drafted in the first round by the Arizona Diamondbacks—could top 100 MPH with his four-seam fastball. However, now more pitchers are throwing with heat, and their control is less refined.
“In the minors there’s a lot more guys that throw a lot harder, but in college at a high level, there’s a lot of guys with a lot of control,” he said. “So coming into the minors, they have a little less control, but they all have better stuff. It’s kind of a balancing game between the two.”
And it’s not just the pitching he’s having to adjust to. Professional baseball comes with new challenges for the freshly drafted.
“You’re not used to going to bed at midnight or 2:00 AM every day, and then you’ve got to take up and do it again, versus the college schedule is a lot earlier in the day. You get a regular sleep schedule in.”
After finishing his orientation with the Rockies at their Arizona Complex, Klein was assigned to the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies. He made his professional debut with a team in the midst of a playoff push. He appeared in seven games as a catcher or designated hitter and slashed .227/.393/.318 with two doubles, three RBIs, four walks, and eight strikeouts.
“It was awesome just to go out to Fresno and be around that team and play in the playoffs with them.”
Now back in Arizona for instructs, Klein is preparing himself for next season with a focus on his role behind the plate.
“I’m just trying to be in the best shape as I can be,” he said. “Get my receiving focused in, so I can help the pitchers do the best they can.”
Weekly Pebble Report: October 14th-October 20th
Arizona Fall League: Salt River Rafters (4-2, 5-5 Overall)
It was a good bounce-back week for the Rafters, who won four of their six contests in the Fall League. In three of those games—including two of their wins—they scored ten or more runs.
⬆️ Stock Up: The Bash Brothers Ride Together
Colorado’s own bash brothers Jared Thomas (no. 8 PuRP) and Charlie Condon (no. 2 PuRP) have both showcased their potential in Arizona, and they both shined especially bright in a 12-9 victory over the Scottsdale Scorpions last week. Thomas went 2-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs while Condon went 3-for-5 with two runs and five RBIs. I should probably also mention that they both hit grand slams.
⬇️ Stock Down: That’ll leave a dent
Right-handed reliever Cade Denton has been largely solid in the Fall League so far, but had his quality appearances interrupted by a difficult one last week. In one inning against the Surprise Saguaros he gave up five earned runs on two hits—including a home run—and two walks, though he did record all three of his outs via the strikeout. Denton inherited two runners when he came in with an 11-5 lead in the top of the seventh inning. After a single, two walks, a hit batter, and finally a grand slam, the lead was gone.
Winter Ball Assignments
The first of the Rockies’ prospects to pick up winter ball assignments have now arrived at their destinations and have started to play. As of right now, the Rockies have six players reporting for winter baseball.
- RHP Victor Juarez (no. 44 PuRP): Aguilas de Mexicali, Mexican Pacific Winter League (Mexico)
- 2B Adael Amador: Aguilas Cibaenas, LIDOM (Dominican Republic)
- LHP Felix Ramires: Aguilas Cibaenas, LIDOM (Dominican Republic)
- INF Julio Carreras: Gigantes del Cibao, LIDOM (Dominican Republic)
- RHP Yujanyer Herrera (no. 36 PuRP): Cardenales de Lara, LVBP (Venezuela)
- C Jose Cordova: Tiburones de La Guaira, LVBP (Venezuela)
Other News
Francys Romero has reported that the Colorado Rockies have hired scout Alvin Duran as their new Latin America supervisor and assistant to the director. Duran previously served as an international scouting assistant and Dominican Republic coordinator for the San Diego Padres. He has been linked to some of the Padres’ key international signings such as Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas.
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