Jensen, Kudrna Enjoy Royal Honors

COLUMBIA, SC – Today, the Kansas City Royals announced that Carter Jensen has been named the 2022 Columbia Fireflies Player of the Year and Ben Kudrna has been named the 2022 Columbia Fireflies Pitcher of the Year.

Kansas City, MO., native Carter Jensen slugged his way to Columbia Player of the Year honors in his second professional season, posting a .745 OPS with 66 runs scored, 24 doubles, 2 triples, 11 home runs, 50 RBI, 83 walks and eight stolen bases, collecting 150 total bases in 113 games for the Fireflies. His 82 walks ranked third in the Carolina League. Per FanGraphs, Jensen is the first 18-year-old in the minors since at least 2006 (when data is available) to record at least 10 home runs and at least 80 walks in a single season. He began the season with a five-game hitting streak from April 8-13, which included homers in back-to-back games April 12-13, and finished his campaign batting .333 (25-for-75) in August, in which he had nine RBI and 24 walks with 11 extra-base hits. The Park Hill High School (Mo.) graduate was selected by the Royals in the third round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft by scout Matt Price.

Blue Valley Southwest High School alumnus, Ben Kudrna, shined in his first season of professional ball, earning the Columbia Pitcher of the Year award after posting a 3.48 ERA (28 ER in 72.1 IP) with 61 strikeouts and a .239 opponents’ batting average (66-for-276) in 17 starts for the Fireflies. The 19-year-old right hander starred in his pro debut May 21 vs. Myrtle Beach, allowing just one run on one hit over 3.2 innings with five strikeouts, and followed that up with 4.0 shutout, one-hit innings May 27 at Lynchburg. Over his 17 starts, he surrendered no more than four hits 13 times, and no more than three runs 14 times – finishing with three quality starts – including his final start last Thursday when he held Charleston to three runs on four hits with a season-high tying six strikeouts. Kudrna was selected by the Royals in the second round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft by scout Matt Price.

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