Topes Notes: Kyle Karros following similar path through Albuquerque as dad, Eric Karros

Former Albuquerque Dukes and Los Angeles Dodgers great Eric Karros was a bit of a mountain man in his big league playing days.

Not only did he kill it in his one season in the mile-high air of Albuquerque in 1991 (.316 batting average, 22 home runs, 101 RBIs in 132 games), but he then went on to be a Colorado Rockies killer when playing against that other mile-high team (in 129 games in Denver, he had a .320 batting average with 37 homers and 108 RBIs for the Dodgers).

Kyle Karros, who last week made his Triple-A debut for the Albuquerque Isotopes, is on a similar path as his father, but with the hopes of playing even more in the thin air of Colorado.

“Yeah, I mean hopefully I can swing it like him in Denver one day,” said Kyle, the third baseman who had been raking at Double-A Hartford earlier this season and is ranked the No. 18 prospect in the Rockies minor league system according to MLB Pipeline.

They are at least the fifth father-son duo to both play professional baseball in Albuquerque:

• 1B Eric Karros (Dukes 1991), 3B Kyle Karros (Isotopes 2025)

• OF Stu Pederson (Dukes 1983 debut, parts of three other seasons), OF Joc Pederson (Isotopes 2014)

• SS Ivan De Jesus (Dukes 1974-76), IF Ivan De Jesus (Isotopes 2011, 2012)

• RHP Balvino Galvez (Dukes 1986 and 1992), OF Brian Cavazos-Galvez (Isotopes 2012, 2014)

• LHP John O’Donoghue (Dukes 1962 Double A), LHP John O’Donoghue (Isotopes 1995)

The professional careers of Karros father and son share some symmetry.

Both were 22 years old when playing their first Triple-A game and both in Albuquerque (Kyle turns 23 later this week while dad’s 23rd birthday was in the offseason).

Both were fairly high draft picks for their respective organizations — Kyle a fifth-round pick of the Rockies in the 2023 amateur draft, Eric a sixth-round pick of the Dodgers in 1988 amateur draft — both out of UCLA.

Kyle’s first two games with the Triple-A Isotopes — Friday’s debut and Saturday night — saw him go 1-for-7 at the plate with a double and the team went 1-1 in the two games.

Eric’s first two games with the Triple-A Dukes in April 1991 saw him got 1-for-7 at the plate with a double and the team went 1-1 in the two games.

(In Game 3, the younger Karros was 0-for-4 but his team won while papa Karros was 2-for-3 in a Dukes’ loss).

Kyle says his father was vital in his baseball career but he is now focused on making a name for himself.

“I think at this point in my life, I kind of want him to just be more of a dad and more of a resource for off-the-field stuff. I don’t need him nitpicking my swing or on the field stuff.

“So we’ve had those discussions where you can kind of let the coach with the Rockies do their thing with me on the field, but he definitely is a great resource to have off the field.”

MLB debut

Isotopes broadcaster Josh Suchon made his major league debut Friday, calling the Minnesota Twins at Colorado Rockies game in Denver for the Rockies’ broadcast network.

Suchon, who called two games for the Rockies, will return to the Isotopes booth Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

The Rockies, the team with the worst record in MLB, is 2-0 with Suchon on the call.

Know the foe

The Isotopes are on the road for a six-game series against the Salt Lake Bees, Tuesday through Sunday, at Ballpark at American First Square.

• Isotopes, Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies are 38-56 overall, ninth place; 7-13 second half, eighth place

• Bees, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels are 36-59 overall, 10th place; 7-14 second half, ninth place

Run it up

Depending on what you like in a baseball game, this note is good news, or bad.

The Isotopes and Bees have allowed 1,282 runs this season. That’s 607 by the Isotopes (6.5 per game, third most in the PCL) and 675 by the Bees (7.1 per game, 10th in the 10-team PCL).

Three up, three down

Looking good:

1. 1B Keston Hiura has reached base in 39 of his last 40 games.

2. 3B Aaron Schunk has two doubles, two triples, three home runs, 11 RBIs and a .647 slugging percentage in his past 14 games. The only reason that’s not a 14-game hitting streak was his 0-for-1 showing July 5 vs. El Paso when he had one pinch hit at bat.

3. LF Sterlin Thompson has seven triples in 78 games this season. He is tied with El Paso’s Clay Dugan (seven triples in 92 games) for most in Triple-A (PCL and International League).

OF Sam Hilliard has five triples in just 46 games, which would lead the International League and Schunk’s four in just 53 games would be second most in the IL.

Look away:

1. LHP Mason Albright was hit in the elbow by a throw to second base by C Braxton Fulford after just six pitches in Saturday night’s game. The extent of his injury is unclear.

After allowing a leadoff single to Albert Almora Jr., Albright struck out Reno’s Jorge Barrosa on four pitches — the last coinciding with Almora stealing second base, leading to Fulford’s low throw, which hit a squatting Albright.

2. The Isotopes have committed 88 errors this season, tied for third most in Triple-A, but in two fewer gams than the team they’re tied with for third (Sacramento).

3. Albuquerque is in ninth place in the PCL. Reno is in eighth. Reno is 4-0 against the Isotopes in one-run games, including Sunday’s 5-4 loss in 12 innings.

Fast food

The updated chile pepper race standings at Isotopes Park through Sunday’s home game (44 races):

• Salsa Jar — 14 wins

• Taco — 13 wins

• Green Chile — 10 wins

• Red Chile — 7 wins

Next homestand

The Isotopes return home for a six-game home series with the Sacramento RiverCats July 29-Aug. 3 followed by a seven-game homestand Aug. 5-10 vs. Round Rock.