KC Royals rising prospect rockets into MLB Pipeline's positional Top 10

If Kansas City Royals fans are tracking the farm system this summer, two organizational strengths are becoming increasingly clear. First, there's a growing wave of collegiate pitchers either rising through the ranks or cementing a sturdy floor in their prospect profiles.

Second—and perhaps more exciting—Kansas City boasts a trio of catching prospects with legitimate MLB ceilings. While there will always be depth at the position, one of Blake Mitchell, Carter Jensen, or Ramon Ramirez could emerge as the long-term successor to franchise cornerstone Salvador Perez.

Mitchell is still ramping back up after a spring training injury, and Ramirez continues to rake in Low-A. But right now, it's Jensen who's turning heads—both in the Royals' front office and nationally. His strong 2025 campaign has landed him in MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 catching prospects in all of baseball.

KC Royals prospect Carter Jensen ranks among baseball's best catching prospects

The latest rankings update came just as the Royals hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers at Kauffman Stadium. The timing was poetic: former Dodgers top prospect Dalton Rushing officially graduated from prospect status, clearing the way for Jensen to crack the top 10. Rushing, now in the big leagues, went hitless with three strikeouts in Saturday’s loss to the Royals.

Meanwhile, Jensen continues to deliver. The Park Hill High School product blasted his first Triple-A home run this past week after earning a well-deserved promotion from Double-A Northwest Arkansas to Omaha. Though it feels like Jensen has been in the Royals’ system forever—having been drafted in the third round back in 2021—he’s still just 21 years old and one of the youngest position players in the International League.

After a rocky Double-A debut in late 2024 and a slow start to 2025, Jensen found his rhythm. Through 68 games this year, he slashed .292/.360/.420 with six home runs and 37 RBI. The left-handed hitter brings an all-fields approach, spraying the ball with intent—his Omaha home run, fittingly, went to the opposite field.

That combination of untapped power and a refined plate approach has long been Jensen’s calling card, but his defensive development is what’s turning him from an interesting bat into a complete catching prospect.

He’s shown a strong arm and quick transfer behind the plate, commanding enough respect to challenge even the league’s most aggressive base stealers. Just as importantly, his framing has taken noticeable steps forward—no small feat for a player once viewed as a bat-first backstop with long-term questions at the position.