KC Royals may have found their new top prospect after Jac Caglianone's graduation

When it comes to top prospects, the No. 1 spot is often a revolving door. Even elite talents eventually graduate and become just another face in the ever-changing pool of big leaguers. For the Royals, that transition is approaching fast with Jac Caglianone. The 2024 first-rounder—who’s split time between the outfield and first base—is still working through some big-league growing pains, but not enough to warrant a return to Triple-A Omaha.

So who’s next in line? The answer might already be emerging in catcher Carter Jensen.

Carter Jensen is the best candidate for the KC Royals' next top prospect

The Double-A Northwest Arkansas star has turned a corner after some early-season struggles and Caglianone's promotion to Omaha.
Since Caglianone's last Double-A game on May 18, Jensen is slashing .384/.424/.580 with a 176 wRC+.

The 21-year-old's 121 wRC+ on the season ranks fifth among Royals minor-leaguers in Low-A or higher, but he is certainly the hottest batter down on the farm in June. He drove a career-high in six runs in a June 5 outing, a drop in the bucket in his 28 RBI since May 1.

So what changed from his slumping start to 2025? Well, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers, it was as much mental as physical.

“I think I caught myself trying to do a little bit too much,” Jensen told Rogers. “I was trying to hit like four home runs in a game to try to help us win. It’s just not really realistic. I was trying to do too much, and I realized that. I just kind of tried to stay under control and do what I could do in that at-bat and that moment. Flipping the mindset of, ‘I don’t have to do everything’ to ‘We have a good lineup, and if I just do my part, then everything will take care of itself.’”

Jensen’s mid-season surge has been driven by his bat, but his work behind the plate has been just as important. Coming out of the 2021 MLB Draft, he was seen as a bit of a tweener—a catcher whose athleticism might be better suited for another position. But thanks to strides in his receiving and game-calling, Jensen has become a quietly strong candidate to be Kansas City’s next long-term option behind the dish. That growth has “been really fun to watch,” according to Royals director of player development Mitch Maier.

“Speaks to his maturity, speaks to the work," Maier told Rogers. "It’s hard to believe he’s still so young. At a really demanding and hard position, for him to get better and put himself in a position, continuing to move the needle toward helping us here. That’s the goal. He’s continued to improve every step of the way.”

This year marked the first time Jensen entered a season with real expectations. Drafted 78th overall by the Royals in 2021, he spent years as a fringe top-10 prospect—even while putting up solid numbers. But in 2025, he broke through, opening the year ranked third on MLB Pipeline’s Royals prospect list, behind only Caglianone and 2023 first-rounder Blake Mitchell. Now, with Caglianone on the verge of graduating and Mitchell sidelined by a broken hamate bone, Jensen has both the opportunity and the pedigree to claim the top spot in the system.