Royals' rookie record not enough to earn Carter Jensen respect in Rookie of the Year voting

Carter Jensen came out of nowhere this season to become one of the most important hitters in the Royals lineup. The rookie catcher had an impressive 20-game stint in September 2025 to show off his potential, but for him to turn that into one of the best seasons ever by a Royals rookie in 2026 was completely unexpected.

In his age-22 season, Jensen played 149 games and had a .790 OPS, 27 home runs, setting the Royals rookie record, and 81 RBIs. He did that while playing 868 innings behind the plate, the 8th most of any catcher this season. He also earned AL Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month in September.

It was already unfortunate to see that the Kansas City native's very impressive rookie campaign didn't earn him a top-three spot in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, but a lot of fans thought he would finish fourth. Once the voting was revealed on November 9, it was a complete shock to see Jensen not only finish fifth, but also not receive a single second-place vote when four others did.

Jensen's disrespect is a little more obvious when you break down the votes

Jensen ended up receiving four third-place votes, nine fourth-place votes, and one fifth-place vote for a total of 31 points. He was on just 14 of the possible 30 ballots, meaning 16 of the voters didn't believe he was even a top-five finisher for the award this season. He finished one spot higher than Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter, despite getting a second-place vote, and one spot behind White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami.

The voting results are almost disrespectful to what Jensen did this season. The lefty is nominated for the Silver Slugger at catcher in the AL. Among American League rookies, he was third in home runs and second in RBIs. He was only -1 Fielding Run Value despite his offensive prowess, something not many rookie backstops are capable of doing. Jensen's 3.7 fWAR was the fourth-highest.

It was going to be hard for Jensen to crack the top three between Kevin McGonigle's awesome season and Parker Messick and Payton Tolle both being top-tier starters for their respective franchises. Not being fourth after what he did is just insulting, but taking a deeper dive into the voting results shows why: of the eight voters who represent the four other AL Central squads, only two had Jensen on their ballots.

Jensen should take this disrespect into next season to take a step forward. He has a chance to flourish into one of the best catchers in baseball in the coming years, and this should add fuel to his desire to get better. At least he still has a chance to come home with an award this season.

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