The Kansas City Royals have a lot to be excited about this season. They’re coming off a bit of a disappointing year after missing the postseason, but the Royals fans can’t be too upset with this outcome. Three years ago, they were one of the worst teams in the league. Two years ago, they took a huge step forward behind a huge season from superstar Bobby Witt Jr.
After missing the postseason last year, the Royals are in the perfect position to make waves this season. Their infield, led by Witt, is coming off a huge year. Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino emerged as potential stars last year. If they can build on that, they’re going to be hard to deal with for opposing pitchers.
But there are other talented players throughout the lineup, including one of the team’s top prospects who’s expected to split time at designated hitter and catcher this year.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently listed catching prospect Carter Jensen as the Royals’ best power prospect right now, which should be an easy observation considering the talent and potential he’s already shown at the big-league level.
Carter Jensen is a star in the making for the Royals
“Jensen was arguably the most impressive September call-up in baseball last season, hitting .300/.391/.550 with six doubles, three home runs, and 13 RBI in 20 games after making his MLB debut on Sept. 2,” Reuter wrote. “He looks to have a clear path to an Opening Day roster spot as the primary DH and backup catcher. His elite batted-ball metrics in last year’s small sample size make him a sneaky AL Rookie of the Year candidate.”
If Jac Caglianone still qualified as a prospect, he would be the obvious choice here, but with Caglianone being a routine big leaguer at this point, Jensen is the team’s best power prospect.
Last year, Jensen played in 20 games for the Brewers and he looked very good. In that short time, he was worth 0.8 WAR as he slashed .300/.391.550 with three home runs and six doubles. The power was on full display any time he put bat on the ball. Even his outs were seemingly blistered last year.
With Salvador Perez getting up there in age, Jensen could take over as the main catcher within a year or two. This could help save Perez’s body as his career goes on. Either way, it should be exciting to watch these two split time behind the plate and in the designated hitter role this season.
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