Where Carter Jensen's season ranks among the best Royals rookies in recent years

Born in Kansas City, raised in Kansas City, went to high school in Kansas City, drafted by the Royals, and now part of the Royals' next core. Does it get any better than that? Carter Jensen flashed his potential in his 20-game call-up last fall when he hit nine extra-base hits in 20 games and had a .941 OPS. Now he's got almost a full season under his belt, and he's impressed the whole league.

Jensen hit another two home runs in the 9-6 loss to the Marlins on Wednesday night, his 20th and 21st, the most in a single season by any Royals rookie in the 2000s, and the third most all-time. For good measure, he drilled his 22nd in Thursday night's victory, putting him one blast behind Jac Caglianone, and two behind Bob Hamelin for the second-best Royals rookie season ever. His emergence has come at the perfect time, as Salvador Perez is in the twilight of his career.

There are still more than 20 games to go in the season, but so far, Jensen is having one of the best rookie seasons in recent Royals history. How does it stack up against other Kansas City Rookies in the last 15 years?

Best Royals rookies seasons of the past 15 years

Maikel Garcia

2023 was Garcia's official rookie season, and he did what he's known best for: elite defense. He led all third basemen in Outs Above Average (13) and Fielding Run Value (11) but didn't take home the Gold Glove due to his -1 Defensive Runs Saved. Offensively, he was fine. While he did hit .272, he only had a .681 OPS.

Carter Jensen

With time left to go, Jensen still has a chance to climb this list. While he hasn't hit for average, he has gotten on base at a high clip, and his power has been elite. His defense behind the plate has been solid, too. He's 14 RBI shy of passing Bobby Witt's rookie season RBI total (he won't reach Carlos Beltran's 108), and three home runs away from passing Hamelin.

Bobby Witt Jr

Witt didn't set the world alight in his rookie season, but it was still very solid. He only had a .722 OPS, but he did hit 31 doubles and 20 home runs. He really struggled defensively, though, with -9 OAA at short and -2 at third. The only thing keeping him above Jensen at the moment is his 80 RBI and 30 stolen bases. Witt and Beltran are the Royals rookies to ever have 20-home-run, 20-stolen-base seasons as rookies.

Brad Keller

Keller burst onto the scene in 2018 at 22 years old, splitting time between the starting rotation and bullpen. He made 41 appearances, 20 starts and 21 out of the pen, and had a 3.08 ERA in 140 1/3 innings. He had a 3.28 ERA in 118 innings as a starter, and in 22 1/3 innings in relief, he had a 2.01 ERA. Keller has the highest single-season bWAR of any player on this list with 4.2, and his 2.6 fWAR is tied for the highest with the next player.

Yordano Ventura

Ventura was a workhorse in his 2014 rookie season. He pitched 183 innings to a 3.20 ERA. He struck out 159 batters, the second most ever by a Royals rookie (1973 Steve Busby had 174). It's not just what he did in the regular season that puts him on top of this list; he was just as good in the playoffs in 2014. Ventura pitched five times, made four starts, and had a 3.20 ERA in 25.1 innings, which included seven shutout innings in Game 6 of the World Series.

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