I'm a set builder. Have been since I was 8 years old. I love to rip packs and build sets of several Topps baseball sets along with UD Flagship Hockey every year. So I grabbed some Allen and Ginter fat packs at the store to continue my set for this year and out falls this little fella. I was pretty excited.

Carter Jensen capped his rookie season by winning both AL Player of the Month and AL Rookie of the Month for September. The 23-year-old catcher hit .338/.407/.788 with eight home runs, while leading MLB with 19 extra-base hits and a 1.194 OPS.

It’s not quite the same as watching the Royals (or Mariners) play baseball in October, but after this season I’m willing to grade on an extremely generous curve.

Jensen’s performance, along with the emergence of several other young Royals, offers genuine hope that October baseball may not be too far away.

The Royals lost for the 13th time in their last 18 games yesterday, blowing yet another late lead - this time against @Curt_Burner's Pirates (for the second time in two days, by the way...). But there was one bright spot: Carter Jensen broke Bob "The Hammer" Hamelin’s franchise record for home runs by a rookie, a mark that had stood since 1994.

Now let’s just hope young Carter doesn’t break Hamelin’s other record: appearing on one of the worst baseball cards of all time…

This Royals season has been more "sad trombone" than October baseball, but the future looks brighter.

Noah Cameron went 4–0 with a 1.87 ERA and Jac Caglianone hit .411 with six homers, 26 RBI and a 1.113 OPS in August, earning them AL Pitcher & Player of the Month honors, respectively. And through three September games, Carter Jensen is batting .583 with three homers and six RBI. (Yes, I know - it's only three games. But still...)

These three cards may be basic, but the Killer Cs could be something special. At the very least, they’re keeping me interested as the season winds down.

Bring on 2027...

Although the Royals' 2026 season is increasingly looking like a bust, there are still plenty of reasons for optimism about the future. One of the brightest is rookie Carter Jensen, who is in the midst of a 19-game hitting streak. Since it began on June 6, he's slashing .351/.388/.610 over 77 at-bats with four home runs and eight doubles.

It's a small sample size, but it's hard not to get excited about what he could become as part of the Royals' young core. Plus, as a Royals fan, you've got to take your hope wherever you can find it... 😉