Getting to the Major League level is hard, even for talented players who have excelled at baseball their whole lives.
Staying and playing consistently well is even harder. In addition to the higher level of competition, players also have to adjust to the grind of the MLB schedule. Even with all the talent in the world, a 162-game season is longer than most prospects have ever played before. Finding out how to ensure their bodies handle the grind can be a bit of a learning curve.
This is where Colorado’s
training staff comes into play.
They have to monitor and help players make the adjustments for playing in the Big Leagues. According to Scott Murayama, the Rockies coordinator of Major League rehabilitation, it can be a significant shift for some players.
“A lot of times, with younger players, as they’re coming up in minors, they are beat up a little bit. They’re protected a little bit more. Coaches and staff will take them off the field when they have complaints,” Scott Murayama said at Rockies Fest.
“And when they get up here [to the big leagues], they find out, they’re the young guy, and they’ve got to play through. For some of them, it’s a rude awakening because they’re not used to being forced to fight through their soreness or whatever they need. But there’s nobody out on the field who plays 162 games that feels good. You have to figure out what you can play through and what you can’t, and the younger players learn that pretty quick.”
One of the better 2025 MLB debuts came from Kyle Karros, the Rockies fifth-round pick from the 2023 MLB Draft. Son of former Dodger and Rockies killer Eric Karros, Kyle was called up on Aug. 8. In 43 games, Karros hit .226/.308/.277 with 20 runs scored, nine RBI, one homer and four doubles. He didn’t have the power he flashed in the Minor Leagues, but provided a decent bat and solid glove at third base after Ryan McMahon was traded to the Yankees.
After playing all of 2024 with the High-A Spokane Indians (472 at-bats in 123 games), Karros started 2025 in Double-A Hartford. On July 18, after 55 games with the Yard Goats, he was promoted to the Triple-A Isotopes, where he played 16 games before getting the call.
He started his first eight games on his way to making 40 total starts, and played in 43 of the Rockies final 47 games of the season. It was a lot, even for a player who Colorado’s head athletic trainer and director of medical operations, Keith Dugger, calls “a tremendous young kid.”
“We played 16 days in a row. He’d never done that in his entire life, and he was gassed. [He said] ‘I thought the Big Leagues were just going to be, like normal baseball, you know?’ So we had to teach him,” Dugger said at Rockies Fest.
“Charlie [Blackmon], we had to teach him prior to that. So it’s really good when you have some of these older guys, like Charlie, who’s around some of these young prospects, so they can learn their kind of process that helps them throughout the day.”
Off to a strong start this spring training, hitting .417/.481/.750 with seven RBI, two homers, and seven runs scored in 24 at-bats in nine games, Karros is now primed to be the starting third baseman this season.
Jordan Beck, the Rockies No. 38 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, made his Big League debut on April 30, 2024. He only played in 55 games in his rookie campaign, largely due to suffering a fractured left hand. In 2025, he played in 148 games, which was the most for any Rockie. Beck led the team in stolen bases (19) and was second in hits (139), doubles (27) and runs scored (tied with Mickey Moniak at 62). He was third on the team with 16 homers.
At Rockeis Fest, Beck said the increased playing time made a difference.
“Seeing guys multiple times, you start playing against guys multiple times, you just start knowing, ‘alright, this is what it looks like.’ You can train as much as you want, but until you get into the box and see what it looks like, you really don’t know,” Beck said. “…I do believe that getting out there and playing and getting consistent at-bats is a huge deal.”
Beck is part of a group of 12 Rockies who made their debuts in 2024, which tied a team record for most at that time. Colorado immediately broke that record in 2025 as Karros was one of 13 Rockies to make their MLB debuts in 2025.
For a young, rebuilding team, the Rockies will likely see more debuts, as well as the biggest workloads young players have ever experienced in their lives. How the players hold up, mentally and physically, in that process will not only have a big impact on how 2026 plays out, but also on many individual careers and the Rockies long-term success as well.
Can rebuilt Rockies win 70 games in 2026? | Mailbag | Denver Post ($)
A reader asks Patrick Saunders if he thinks the Rockies can win 27 more times in 2026 than they did in 2025. The Denver Post Rockies beat writer doesn’t think so, saying even 17 more would be a lot of progress. Patrick also shares thoughts on which young Rockie might have the biggest breakout season, what he hopes to see before he retires and more.
Johnston ‘controlling the controllables’ as he fights for roster spot | MLB.com
This is a cool feature on Troy Johnston’s focus on controlling what’s in his hands and letting go of what is not as he battles for a spot with the Rockies at first base. Coming from a successful 2023 season in the Marlins farm system, Johnson now focuses on his bat, glove, preparation and more, in addition to his presence in the clubhouse as a good teammate. The best part is when Johnston talks about his daughter.
A good feature on the ambitions of the Rockies promising young third baseman and his relationship with his father, Eric Karros. Very relatable and touching.
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