Carter Jensen’s 20-Game Hitting Streak: One From History
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A 20-game hitting streak, a Royals rookie record, and a run that came one game short of matching what Buster Posey did in 2010 — here’s what every young catcher can take from Jensen’s run.
Tuesday night, June 30, in Kansas City — the first pitch of the Royals’ first at-bat.
Carter Jensen dug into the left side of the box, leading off against Tampa Bay, and jumped on it.
He hit it out to right-center.
That swing pushed his hitting streak to 20 consecutive games — two clear of the Royals’ rookie record, the 18-game mark Maikel Garcia set back in 2023. He was 22 years old that night, three days from his 23rd birthday, a hometown kid drafted by his own Royals in the third round in 2021.
It was the longest active hitting streak in the major leagues.
Across those 20 games, Jensen was methodical — relentless in a quiet way, never flashy, always on time. He hit .346 with a .630 slugging percentage, with five home runs, eight doubles, 18 runs batted in, and 16 runs scored.
| G streak | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | 2B | RBI | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | .346 | .382 | .630 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 16 |
The only rookie catcher with a longer single-season streak since 2010 is Buster Posey. Posey hit in 21 consecutive games for San Francisco that summer. He won the 2010 National League Rookie of the Year award. He also became one of the best catchers the game has ever seen.
That night, Jensen stood one game away. The next night, Tampa Bay held him hitless, and the streak ended at 20 — one short of Posey, and alone at the top of the Royals’ rookie record book.
But this streak did not start on one lucky Tuesday. It started with the way Jensen works. At the time, he ranked in the 92nd percentile in caught stealing percentage among big-league catchers, and the 84th percentile in pitch framing. The same discipline he brings behind the plate follows him into the batter’s box. He reads pitch movement, holds his spot, trusts what he sees. He is not guessing up there. He is reading.
The Royals’ veteran catcher, Salvador Perez, was managing some left elbow soreness that month, so Jensen carried most of the catching duties — while hitting at a level that turns heads in any lineup.
What a catcher can learn from this
A 20-game hitting streak does not happen because a player woke up with better hands. It happens because a player brings the same approach every single night.
For Jensen, that approach is patience. He draws the walk when the pitcher misses. He puts the barrel on the ball when the count opens up. He does not chase the 0-2 pitch just because the situation demands it.
Every catcher already studies the pitcher from the crouch. You watch pitch shape. You notice when the release point changes late in a game. You track what he throws in 0-2 counts and what he goes to when he is behind.
When you step in to hit, that information is still there. Jensen uses it. That is what turns a disciplined approach into a 20-game streak.
Start building those reads tonight — from the crouch and from the box. The catcher who studies the pitcher from both sides of the plate has an edge most hitters will never have.
Try this at your next practice
- Pre-at-bat scouting. Before you step in, recall two things you noticed from behind the plate: what the pitcher throws when he is ahead in the count, and what he throws when he is behind. Write them down after practice. After a few games you will see patterns.
- The patient count drill. In batting practice, take the first pitch every at-bat no matter where it is. Watch it all the way in. Then call out what you saw — fastball low, curve in the dirt, whatever — before the next pitch comes. Train your eye to read before it commits to swing.
- Crouch-to-box transition. At the end of practice, take ten swings directly after five minutes of framing drills behind the plate. The goal is to stay in “read mode” — the same focused, patient eye you use to receive the ball — as you cross to the other side.
Sources: Royals’ Carter Jensen extends hitting streak to 20 games (CBS Sports) · Carter Jensen extends hitting streak to 19 games (MLB.com) · Analyzing Jensen’s 20-game hitting streak (Yardbarker)