Carter Jensen's double honor put an exclamation point on his Royals' rookie season

The Kansas City Royals went into the 2026 season knowing they had something special with Carter Jensen, but not many predicted just how good of a rookie campaign he would have. Jensen entered the season as a top-20 prospect by some outlets, but elite prospect status doesn't always translate the way Jensen's did.

The rookie catcher hit .239 this season with a .790 OPS. He set the Royals rookie record with 27 home runs, added 35 doubles (one shy of the rookie record), and 81 RBIs. Jensen was one of the most productive catchers in the American League and one of the best rookies this season, and he finished the year on a real high.

He had an incredible final month of the season and was awarded the American League Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month for September.  He hit .338 with a .788 slugging percentage, a 1.198 OPS, and a 221 WRC+. He had 10 doubles, eight home runs, and 20 RBI. He led all AL hitters in doubles, slugging percentage, OPS, and WRC+.

Carter Jensen's rookie season extends beyond Royals' final month

Not only was Jensen incredible in September, but he was one of the most valuable position players in the AL during the second half of the season. His 2.3 fWAR was the fifth-highest of any AL hitter in the second half of the season. His 14 home runs were the seventh most, and his 39 runs scored were the 11th most. His 3.7 fWAR for the entire season was the third-highest among catchers. Salvador Perez had only three seasons better than Jensen's 3.3 bWAR.

Two years ago, the Royals were starting to plan for the inevitability of Perez's decline. He had already started to see more time at DH, and he was becoming one of the worst defensive catchers in the game. Most teams end up with a revolving door behind the plate after that. While one catcher may stick for a season or two, it takes a while to find their long-term solution. Not for Kansas City.

Royals fans can consider themselves extremely lucky when it comes to catchers. Most teams don't get one catcher who sticks around for as long or were productive for as long as Perez was for them. Now, it looks like they have another budding star behind the plate who can step right into his shoes.

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