| Eric Karros | |
|---|---|
 Karros onMLB Whiparound in 2018 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: (1967-11-04)November 4, 1967 (age 58) Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 1991, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 21, 2004, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .268 |
| Home runs | 284 |
| Runs batted in | 1,027 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Eric Peter Karros (born November 4, 1967) is an American former professionalbaseballfirst baseman who played 14 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB), primarily with theLos Angeles Dodgers. He was theNational League Rookie of the Year in 1992 and won aSilver Slugger Award in 1995. Karros currently works as asportscaster, covering the Dodgers onSpectrum SportsNet LA.
Karros was born inHackensack, New Jersey, and graduated fromPatrick Henry High School inSan Diego, California.[1] He attended theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played on theUCLA Bruins baseball team and, in 1993, earned a degree ineconomics.[2]
TheLos Angeles Dodgers selected Karros in the sixth round of the1988 Major League Baseball draft. He made his Major League debut as a pinch runner on September 1, 1991, against theChicago Cubs. He made his first start, atfirst base, on September 4, 1991, against theSt. Louis Cardinals, when he was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Karros recorded his first Major League hit as apinch hitter in the bottom of the 12th inning againstCincinnati Reds pitcherMilt Hill on September 16, 1991. It was a two-runrun batted in (RBI) double to left field, his only hit in 14 batting appearances during the 1991 season.[citation needed]
In his first at-bat of the 1992 season, on April 9 against theSan Diego Padres, Karros hit a two-run shot to deep left field off ofCraig Lefferts for his first careerhome 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 1992National LeagueRookie of the Year. Karros put up consistent numbers throughout his career with the Dodgers, with abatting 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 (alongsideDuke Snider andGil Hodges). Karros also remains the only player in Dodgers history tohit two homers in the same inning, accomplishing the feat on August 22, 2000.1999 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.[citation needed]
On December 2, 2002, the Dodgers traded Karros andMark Grudzielanek to theChicago Cubs in exchange forTodd Hundley andChad Hermansen. Karros started the season as the Cubs' backup first baseman but took over the role at the beginning of June afterHee-seop Choi was injured in a collision with Cubs teammateKerry Wood. After playing the2003 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.[citation needed]
Karros signed with theOakland Athletics before the start of the2004 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.
| Years | Games | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | FLD% |
| 14 | 1755 | 7100 | 6441 | 797 | 1724 | 324 | 11 | 284 | 1027 | 552 | 1167 | .268 | .325 | .454 | .993 |
In 15 postseason games, in the 1995, 1996 and 2003National League Division Series and 2003National League Championship Series Karros batted .300 (15-for-50) with nine runs, four home runs and six RBI.
Karros works as acolor commentator for baseball onFox. He previously worked forFox Sports in 2004 doing the pregame shows for the Major League Baseball playoffs, andESPN until 2006 as astudio and game analyst. He previously worked onKCAL-TV in Los Angeles, where he did the pre-game show for Dodger games. Karros was a co-broadcaster in theMLB: The Show titles, debuting onMLB 11: The Show, commentating withMatt Vasgersian,Dave Campbell andSteve Lyons.
Karros was hired to call regional games forFox Saturday Baseball in 2007. He was promoted to the secondary team in 2011, primarily calling games withThom 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 onFox Sports 1.
In March 2022, Karros returned to his Dodger broadcasting post as he joined theSpectrum SportsNet LA network.[4]
Karros and his wife Trish have three children. Their sonsKyle andJared both playedcollege baseball atUCLA.[5][6][7] Jared was selected by the Dodgers in the2022 MLB draft[8] and Kyle by theColorado Rockies in the2023 MLB draft.[9]
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