Jensen in 'perfect situation' with deep Royals catching group

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- It¡¯s a whole different scene the second time around for Carter Jensen.

As the 2025 No. 86 overall prospect and the Royals¡¯ No. 5-ranked 2024 prospect per MLB Pipeline, the 21-year-old catcher is again a non-roster invitee to Surprise for Spring Training. This time last year, he felt the nerves as he made his way around the clubhouse for the first time having never advanced higher than Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Since then, Jensen broke out to a great showing in the Arizona Fall League and he¡¯s more hip to making his way around the complex and its routines, even a 6 a.m. physical on a Saturday morning.

¡°That 5 o¡¯clock alarm was not my friend,¡± he said.

Jensen made a major leap in 2024 between High-A Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas as he slashed .259/.359/.450 with 18 home runs, 67 RBIs and 17 stolen bases between both leagues.

He carried that momentum into the Fall League, where he led the Surprise Saguaros, slashing .425/.582/.800 over 12 games.

When spring approached, Royals veterans like MJ Melendez and Bobby Witt Jr., among others, reached out to him as well.

¡°I got a bunch of texts from the guys,¡± Jensen said. ¡°[Michael] Massey and Vinnie [Pasquantino] texted me and said, ¡®Just come in here like you¡¯re one of us.¡¯ It¡¯s pretty relieving to hear. I¡¯m still a young guy, but to know that they¡¯re saying to act like you're one of the team, it¡¯s pretty cool.¡±

With duties behind the plate at the big league level handled by nine-time All-Star Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin, the Royals have serious depth with catching prospects in the pipeline.

Blake Mitchell, 20, the 2025 No. 48 overall prospect and the Royals¡¯ 2024 No. 2 prospect, is in Surprise for his first big league camp. He got his tonsils removed in late January, but he is ramping up his workload with the catchers now as the second week of spring begins. And Jensen, who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, is poised to reach Triple-A Omaha in 2025.

¡°We think really highly of both of those guys,¡± Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. ¡°They¡¯re going to get mixed in here just like everybody else. Carter is going to be more ready to go early in camp, but they¡¯re both going to see action.¡±

There¡¯s no better guide through the process than Perez.

With five Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers and a 2015 World Series championship, the 34-year-old posted the second-most plate appearances of his career (652) and RBIs (104) in 2024. Perez also will handle a pitching staff with the likes of Cole Ragans, who Friday inked a three-year, $13.25 million contract.

Perez just also happens to be the guy Jensen idolized as a Kansas City native.

¡°I wanted to be Salvy when I grew up, as do a lot of Kansas City kids growing up watching the Royals,¡± Jensen said. ¡°Last year was a little more of a shock for me, my first time being around. Then this year I came in, he¡¯s ¡®one of the guys.¡¯ He¡¯s teaching me things and sharing his experiences.¡±

It's hardly just about batting for Jensen, who has 1,595 plate appearances in the Minors. He¡¯s also learning the defensive side of the game and how to handle pitchers at the big league level. In this first week of Spring Training, he caught live bullpen sessions from Michael Lorenzen, who sported a 1.57 ERA in seven games (six starts) with the Royals in 2024 after coming over in a July trade with the Rangers.

It was Jensen¡¯s first time behind the dish with him.

¡°It took everything I knew, the knowledge that I knew when it came to pitch calling, and obviously I talked to him about it before the live started,¡± Jensen said. ¡°My biggest stride since I got drafted was becoming a catcher -- not just playing the position but actually learning the position. Being around Salvy and Freddy, they teach me a ton.¡±

It will be more of the same for Jensen over the next several weeks this spring. He¡¯ll mix BP with hitting coach Alex Zumwalt while catching two live pitching sessions a day. He¡¯ll watch videos of himself batting, both past and present, to develop.

Who knows, he may even get a new tattoo.

Jensen hasn¡¯t been inked in a couple years since he got ¡°Against All Odds¡± tattooed on his left forearm, which he can¡¯t help but see every time he gets into his crouch. He got it almost immediately after he was drafted.

¡°Adversity and the battles I went through, just through life,¡± he described of the tattoo¡¯s meaning. ¡°Getting drafted, hometown team, the perfect situation. It was something that meant a lot to me.¡±