Eric Karros

{{short description|American baseball player and commentator (born 1967)}}

{{Redirect| Karros|the French commune|Carros|other uses|Karos (disambiguation){{!}}Karos}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Eric Karros

|image=Eric Karros talks Houston's pitching, Pedroia's return and Machado trade options - MLB WHIPAROUND.png

|caption=Karros on MLB Whiparound in 2018

|position=First baseman

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1967|11|4}}

|birth_place=Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 1

|debutyear=1991

|debutteam=Los Angeles Dodgers

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=July 21

|finalyear=2004

|finalteam=Oakland Athletics

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.268

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=284

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=1,027

|teams=

Los Angeles Dodgers ({{mlby|1991}}–{{mlby|2002}})
Chicago Cubs ({{mlby|2003}})
Oakland Athletics ({{mlby|2004}})

|highlights=

NL Rookie of the Year (1992)
Silver Slugger Award (1995)

}}

Eric Peter Karros (born November 4, 1967) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1992 and won a Silver Slugger Award in 1995. Karros currently works as a sportscaster, covering the Dodgers on Spectrum SportsNet LA.

Early life

Karros was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and graduated from Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, California.{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=karroer01|title = Eric Karros Stats| publisher= Baseball Almanac|access-date= December 3, 2012}} He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played on the UCLA Bruins baseball team and, in 1993, earned a degree in economics.Drohan, Tyler, "[http://dailybruin.com/2012/07/01/los_angeles_dodgers_honor_ucla_baseball_alumnus_eric_karros_at_stadiums_50th_anniversary/ Los Angeles Dodgers honor UCLA baseball alumnus Eric Karros at Stadium’s 50th anniversary]," Daily Bruin. July 1, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2016. Anderson, Kelli, "[https://www.si.com/vault/1996/03/12/212267/eric-karros Eric Karros]," Sports Illustrated Vault, March 12, 1996. Retrieved November 28, 2016.

Playing career

=Los Angeles Dodgers=

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Karros in the sixth round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft. He made his Major League debut as a pinch runner on September 1, 1991, against the Chicago Cubs. He made his first start, at first base, on September 4, 1991, against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Karros recorded his first Major League hit as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 12th inning against Cincinnati Reds pitcher Milt Hill on September 16, 1991. It was a two-run run batted in (RBI) double to left field, his only hit in 14 batting appearances during the 1991 season.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

In his first at-bat of the 1992 season, on April 9 against the San Diego Padres, Karros hit a two-run shot to deep left field off of Craig Lefferts for his first career home run. He became a full-time starter for the Dodgers that season, appearing in 149 games and hitting 20 home runs while driving in 88 runs. He was named the 1992 National League Rookie of the Year. Karros put up consistent numbers throughout his career with the Dodgers, with a batting average just under .270 and an average of almost 25 home runs a year. He became the third Dodgers player in history to record 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in five different seasons (alongside Duke Snider and Gil Hodges). Karros also remains the only player in Dodgers history to hit two homers in the same inning, accomplishing the feat on August 22, 2000. {{baseball year|1999}} was his best statistical year with the Dodgers, when he hit .304 with 34 home runs and 112 RBIs. His career 270 home runs as a Los Angeles Dodger are the most since the team moved to Los Angeles, and third in all-time Dodgers history.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

=Chicago Cubs=

On December 2, 2002, the Dodgers traded Karros and Mark Grudzielanek to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Todd Hundley and Chad Hermansen. Karros started the season as the Cubs' backup first baseman but took over the role at the beginning of June after Hee-seop Choi was injured in a collision with Cubs teammate Kerry Wood. After playing the {{baseball year|2003}} season with the Cubs he was granted free agency from the team at the end of the year. In 114 games with the Cubs, he hit .286 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

=Oakland Athletics=

Karros signed with the Oakland Athletics before the start of the {{baseball year|2004}} season. Karros’ final MLB game was on July 21, 2004, and he was released by the Athletics on August 3, 2004. He only appeared in 40 games with the team, hitting .194 with two home runs and 11 RBI.

=Career statistics=

class="wikitable"

Years

|Games

|PA

|AB

|2B

|3B

|HR

|RBI

|BB

|SO

|AVG

|OBP

|SLG

|FLD%

|1755

|7100

|6441

|797

|1724

|324

|11

|284

|1027

|552

|1167

|.268

|.325

|.454

|.993

In 15 postseason games, in the 1995, 1996 and 2003 National League Division Series and 2003 National League Championship Series Karros batted .300 (15-for-50) with nine runs, four home runs and six RBI.

Highlights

1992 National League Rookie of the Year
1995 National League Silver Slugger Award at First Base
Finished 5th in voting for 1995 National League MVP
Los Angeles Dodgers career sacrifice flies leader (74)
Second-most career home runs for a player born in New Jersey (284)
Second-most career home runs (behind Tim Salmon) for any player in MLB history who never appeared in the All-Star Game{{cite news|title=Dodgers' Eric Karros and Angels' Tim Salmon were stars . . . just not All-Stars|author=DiGiovanna, Mike|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 5, 2010|access-date=July 6, 2010|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0706-karros-salmon-20100706,0,3479086.story}}

Broadcasting career

Karros works as a color commentator for baseball on Fox. He previously worked for Fox Sports in 2004 doing the pregame shows for the Major League Baseball playoffs, and ESPN until 2006 as a studio and game analyst. He previously worked on KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, where he did the pre-game show for Dodger games. Karros was a co-broadcaster in the MLB: The Show titles, debuting on MLB 11: The Show, commentating with Matt Vasgersian, Dave Campbell and Steve Lyons.

Karros was hired to call regional games for Fox Saturday Baseball in 2007. He was promoted to the secondary team in 2011, primarily calling games with Thom Brennaman. In March 2014, it was announced that Brennaman and Karros would continue to call FOX games together, and the pair called the first regular season game ever on Fox Sports 1.

In March 2022, Karros returned to his Dodger broadcasting post as he joined the Spectrum SportsNet LA network.{{cite news |last1=Bucholtz |first1=Andrew |title=Dodgers announce new broadcasters Jessica Mendoza, Adrián González, Eric Karros, Dontrelle Willis, and José Mota |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/dodgers-broadcasters-jessica-mendoza-adrian-gonzalez-eric-karros-dontrelle-willis-jose-mota-dontrelle-willis.html |access-date=March 17, 2022 |work=Awful Announcing |date=March 14, 2022}}

Personal life

Karros and his wife Trish have three children. Their sons Kyle and Jared both played college baseball at UCLA.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-karros-brothers-sondheimer-20180513-story.html|title=Column: Karros brothers follow in Dodger dad's footsteps|newspaper=LA Times|first=Eric|last=Sondheimer|date=May 13, 2018|accessdate=May 1, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://uclabruins.com/sports/baseball/roster/jared-karros/11020|title=JARED KARROS UCLA bio|work=UCLA Bruins Athletics|accessdate=May 1, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://uclabruins.com/sports/baseball/roster/kyle-karros/11021|work=UCLA Bruins Athletics|title=KYLE KARROS UCLA bio|accessdate=May 1, 2022}} Jared was selected by the Dodgers in the 2022 MLB Draft{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-draft-mlb-legacies-kyle-nevin-and-jared-karros|title=Dodgers call familiar names -- Nevin and Karros -- in Draft|work=mlb.com|first=Joe|last=Trezza|date=July 19, 2022|accessdate=September 12, 2022}} and Kyle by the Colorado Rockies in the 2023 MLB Draft.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37992011/mlb-draft-day-2-sees-six-demon-deacons-son-eric-karros-go|title=MLB draft Day 2 sees six Demon Deacons, son of Eric Karros go|work=ESPN.com|date=July 10, 2023|accessdate=July 17, 2023}}