Carter Jensen Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

AB	44
AVG	.341
OBP	.453
SLG	.568
HR	2

Full name Carter James Jensen
Born 07/03/2003 in Kansas City, MO
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Park Hill
Drafted in the 3rd round (78th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2021 (signed for $1,097,500).

View Draft Report

Jensen is a lefthanded-hitting, bat-first backstop committed to Louisiana State whose hit tool has been especially impressive among the talent in the Midwest. He has an ability to use his hands, he can turn around velocity and go the other way with offspeed pitches, and is consistently a hunter at the plate. There’s a chance the 6-foot-1, 210-pound teenager can stick as a catcher, but even if he can’t, the bat is enough to believe in. He has a knack for finding barrels, and there is some power in the tank, but he hasn’t yet figured out how to consistently elevate the ball. Behind the dish, he’s strong with good hands, and he works well within the zone but has to tighten up the other areas of his game. His blocking needs further development, and he likes to work from one knee, which is an approach the verdict is still out on among evaluators, but Jensen is quiet behind the plate and his receiving is adequate. He has good carry on his throws and he will show arm strength and flash a plus arm, but he doesn’t always move with a ton of energy back there and there are some questions about his ability to handle a full season as a catcher. Jensen has a high-maintenance body but he put in significant work to get in shape and it has shown. He will turn 18 a week before the draft.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 45/High

Track Record: Jensen and fellow Kansas City high school product Ben Kudrna were set to attend Louisiana State before both were drafted in 2021 by the hometown Royals, with Jensen signing an over-slot $1,097,500 bonus in the third round. The lefthanded-hitting catcher was still just 19 years old for most of the 2023 season and spent his third pro season at High-A Quad Cities. Jensen hit .211/.356/.363 with a .150 isolated slugging in 116 games, nearly mirroring his production the year prior in Low-A. He hit better as the temperatures warmed and hit his stride in July and August.

Scouting Report: Jensen has feel for the barrel, quick hands and a compact swing. He gets out in front early on pitches at times, resulting in pull-side foul balls. He will get to his plus raw power when he hits to the middle of the field. Jensen is a contact hitter with a good eye, but he still gets passive at times instead of hunting pitches he can drive. While he’s been young for every level so far, Jensen has the tools to develop into a 20-homer hitter with high on-base percentages. He’s a stronger hitter against righthanded pitchers but handles southpaws well enough to not require a strict platoon. Jensen is still relatively new to catching. He improved in 2023, showing less stiffness and better mobility behind the plate. Jensen has an above-average arm and threw out 24% of basestealers.

The Future: Despite his age, Jensen should be ready for the upper levels in 2024 and projects as an everyday catcher.

Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Field: 50 | Arm: 55
BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: Jensen and fellow Kansas City-area high school product Ben Kudrna were both set to head off to Louisiana State in 2021. Instead, they began their pro careers with the Royals. After being drafted in the third round in 2021 and signing with his hometown team for an over-slot $1,097,500, Jensen got into 19 games in the Arizona Complex League. Despite not turning 19 until midway through the 2022 season, Jensen was challenged with an assignment to Low-A Columbia right out of spring training. He struggled in the first half before heating up in the second half. From July 1 onward, he hit .286/.440/.429 with 51 walks and 38 strikeouts in 52 games.

Scouting Report: Jensen has feel for the barrel, with quick hands and a compact swing. He uses an upright stance, with his swing getting some carry forward as he tries to get to a position to fire. He gets loft from his swing and uses a path that produces gap-to-gap line drives. If Jensen adds strength, those line drives could start going over the fence. He was passive at times early in 2022 but stuck with the process and stayed committed to pitches he could drive. He also improved his two-strike approach, which should correlate with a lower whiff rate. Jensen has only been catching for about five years, and his relative inexperience shows at times. He needs to continue to improve his blocking and receiving. Projected as an average defender or better, he has the athleticism and strong hands to stay behind the plate along with an above-average arm.

The Future: Lefthanded-hitting catchers with power are a valuable commodity, so Jensen will be given every opportunity to stay behind the plate. He'll move to High-A in 2023, where he'll again be young for the level.

Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55
Track Record: The Royals twice dipped into the greater Kansas City area high school ranks in the 2021 draft, taking righthander Ben Kudrna in the second round and Jensen in the third round. After signing for an over-slot $1,097,500, Jensen appeared in 19 games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and impressed with his performance during instructional league.

Scouting Report: Jensen has a strong, mature build and an advanced lefthanded bat with plus raw power. He stands out for his feel to hit, all-fields approach, and an ability to slow the game down. He’ll need to learn to make adjustments against lefthanded pitchers, especially against good breaking balls. Like most catchers coming into pro ball from the prep ranks, Jensen has a lot of work ahead of him defensively. He has the athleticism, flexibility, strong hands and tools to stay behind the plate, with an above-average arm that shows average or better pop times consistently.

The Future: Lefthanded-hitting catchers with power are valuable, so Jensen will be given time to develop. He needs defensive instruction and plenty of reps, but has youth on his side.

Draft Prospects

Jensen is a lefthanded-hitting, bat-first backstop committed to Louisiana State whose hit tool has been especially impressive among the talent in the Midwest. He has an ability to use his hands, he can turn around velocity and go the other way with offspeed pitches, and is consistently a hunter at the plate. There’s a chance the 6-foot-1, 210-pound teenager can stick as a catcher, but even if he can’t, the bat is enough to believe in. He has a knack for finding barrels, and there is some power in the tank, but he hasn’t yet figured out how to consistently elevate the ball. Behind the dish, he’s strong with good hands, and he works well within the zone but has to tighten up the other areas of his game. His blocking needs further development, and he likes to work from one knee, which is an approach the verdict is still out on among evaluators, but Jensen is quiet behind the plate and his receiving is adequate. He has good carry on his throws and he will show arm strength and flash a plus arm, but he doesn’t always move with a ton of energy back there and there are some questions about his ability to handle a full season as a catcher. Jensen has a high-maintenance body but he put in significant work to get in shape and it has shown. He will turn 18 a week before the draft.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: Jensen and fellow Kansas City-area high school product Ben Kudrna were both set to head off to Louisiana State in 2021. Instead, they began their pro careers with the Royals. After being drafted in the third round in 2021 and signing with his hometown team for an over-slot $1,097,500, Jensen got into 19 games in the Arizona Complex League. Despite not turning 19 until midway through the 2022 season, Jensen was challenged with an assignment to Low-A Columbia right out of spring training. He struggled in the first half before heating up in the second half. From July 1 onward, he hit .286/.440/.429 with 51 walks and 38 strikeouts in 52 games.

Scouting Report: Jensen has feel for the barrel, with quick hands and a compact swing. He uses an upright stance, with his swing getting some carry forward as he tries to get to a position to fire. He gets loft from his swing and uses a path that produces gap-to-gap line drives. If Jensen adds strength, those line drives could start going over the fence. He was passive at times early in 2022 but stuck with the process and stayed committed to pitches he could drive. He also improved his two-strike approach, which should correlate with a lower whiff rate. Jensen has only been catching for about five years, and his relative inexperience shows at times. He needs to continue to improve his blocking and receiving. Projected as an average defender or better, he has the athleticism and strong hands to stay behind the plate along with an above-average arm.

The Future: Lefthanded-hitting catchers with power are a valuable commodity, so Jensen will be given every opportunity to stay behind the plate. He'll move to High-A in 2023, where he'll again be young for the level.

Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55
BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: Jensen and fellow Kansas City-area high school product Ben Kudrna were both set to head off to Louisiana State in 2021. Instead, they began their pro careers with the Royals. After being drafted in the third round in 2021 and signing with his hometown team for an over-slot $1,097,500, Jensen got into 19 games in the Arizona Complex League. Despite not turning 19 until midway through the 2022 season, Jensen was challenged with an assignment to Low-A Columbia right out of spring training. He struggled in the first half before heating up in the second half. From July 1 onward, he hit .286/.440/.429 with 51 walks and 38 strikeouts in 52 games.

Scouting Report: Jensen has feel for the barrel, with quick hands and a compact swing. He uses an upright stance, with his swing getting some carry forward as he tries to get to a position to fire. He gets loft from his swing and uses a path that produces gap-to-gap line drives. If Jensen adds strength, those line drives could start going over the fence. He was passive at times early in 2022 but stuck with the process and stayed committed to pitches he could drive. He also improved his two-strike approach, which should correlate with a lower whiff rate. Jensen has only been catching for about five years, and his relative inexperience shows at times. He needs to continue to improve his blocking and receiving. Projected as an average defender or better, he has the athleticism and strong hands to stay behind the plate along with an above-average arm.

The Future: Lefthanded-hitting catchers with power are a valuable commodity, so Jensen will be given every opportunity to stay behind the plate. He'll move to High-A in 2023, where he'll again be young for the level.

Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55
BA Grade: 50/Extreme

Track Record:: The Royals twice dipped into the greater Kansas City area high school ranks in the 2021 draft, taking righthander Ben Kudrna in the second round and Jensen in the third round. After signing for an over-slot $1,097,500, Jensen appeared in 19 games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and impressed with his performance during instructional league.

Scouting Report: Jensen has a strong, mature build and an advanced lefthanded bat with plus raw power. He stands out for his feel to hit, all-fields approach, and an ability to slow the game down. He&#39ll need to learn to make adjustments against lefthanded pitchers, especially against good breaking balls. Like most catchers coming into pro ball from the prep ranks, Jensen has a lot of work ahead of him defensively. He has the athleticism, flexibility, strong hands and tools to stay behind the plate, with an above-average arm that shows average or better pop times consistently.

The Future: Lefthanded-hitting catchers with power are valuable, so Jensen will be given time to develop. He needs defensive instruction and plenty of reps, but has youth on his side.
Track Record: The Royals twice dipped into the greater Kansas City area high school ranks in the 2021 draft, taking righthander Ben Kudrna in the second round and Jensen in the third round. After signing for an over-slot $1,097,500, Jensen appeared in 19 games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and impressed with his performance during instructional league.

Scouting Report: Jensen has a strong, mature build and an advanced lefthanded bat with plus raw power. He stands out for his feel to hit, all-fields approach, and an ability to slow the game down. He’ll need to learn to make adjustments against lefthanded pitchers, especially against good breaking balls. Like most catchers coming into pro ball from the prep ranks, Jensen has a lot of work ahead of him defensively. He has the athleticism, flexibility, strong hands and tools to stay behind the plate, with an above-average arm that shows average or better pop times consistently.

The Future: Lefthanded-hitting catchers with power are valuable, so Jensen will be given time to develop. He needs defensive instruction and plenty of reps, but has youth on his side.
The Royals stayed close to home with their third-round pick, taking Jensen, a product of Park Hill High in Kansas City. The Louisiana State commit has an advanced lefthanded bat with a knack for finding the barrel and plenty of time to develop more over-the-fence power. Like most prep catchers, it will take time to determine if he's got the receiving skills to stay behind the plate, but the bat is expected to play elsewhere.