MLB Pipeline’s top Royals prospects of 2025 should surprise no one

While Kansas City Royals fans have to pick some other team to follow through the World Series this year, the future looks bright for the denizens of Kauffman Stadium. That's especially the case for David Shields and Carter Jensen, two of the top-rated prospects in the club's minor league system.

That KC has plenty of talent in its farm system was reinforced again earlier this week when Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Sam Dykstra broke down each organization's Prospects of the Year over at MLB Pipeline.

Carter Jensen and David Shields headline a growing wave of promising Royals prospects

For the Kansas City Royals, the picks were hardly surprising. After all, Jensen already saw some Major League action at the end of the 2025 campaign. While Shields didn't get the call this year, if he keeps this pace up, the promising teenager will be destined to see some action in Kauffman soon enough.

Jensen hit at every level he spent any time at all in 2025. Starting the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, he slashed .292/.360/.420 with six home runs in 36 games. After being promoted to Triple-A Omaha, he slashed .288/.404/.647 with 14 home runs in 43 games.

At the end of the regular season, he got a cup of coffee with the Royals and impressed there, too, slashing 300/.391/.550 with three homers in 20 games. Soon, it seems likely he, like Jac Caglianone, won't be considered part of Kansas City's farm system because he'll be a bona fide major leaguer. As of now, Jensen is KC's top prospect and the No. 39 prospect in MLB.

The 2025 season was Shields' first in pro ball, but the now No. 6 prospect in the Royals' system is moving up quickly, pitching in Rookie League and Single-A this summer.

"Kansas City tends to take it easy with its prep arms in their first full seasons," The MLB Pipeline trio of writers noted. "But Shields forced his way to Single-A Columbia by May and never looked back."

"His 2.01 ERA was second-lowest among 110 Single-A pitchers with at least 70 innings, while his 2.57 FIP and 23.1 K-BB% also ranked second, his 1.02 WHIP third, and his 28.3 percent K rate sixth," the wrote.

All of this culminated in some high honors for Shields this season after he was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year and to the league's end-of-season All-Star team.