By Junior Caminero Isn’t Just the Face of the Rays Anymore — He’s Becoming an American League Superstar
By Ken Filler | Tampa Bay Sports Journal
ST. PETERSBURG — There was a time when Tampa Bay Rays fans talked about what Junior Caminero could become.
Those conversations are over.
Caminero isn’t a future superstar anymore.
He is one right now.
And at just 23 years old, Caminero has become something the Rays haven’t always had during their history — a legitimate, middle-of-the-order superstar who can become the face of the franchise for years to come.
Entering Wednesday, Caminero is batting .283 with 37 home runs, 88 RBI, 85 runs scored and a .904 OPS.
He has already collected 149 hits and owns a .369 on-base percentage and .535 slugging percentage.
Those aren’t numbers from a promising young player.
Those are numbers from one of the best hitters in the American League.
And Caminero might just be getting started.
Caminero Has Become the Rays’ Biggest Offensive Weapon
The power has always been there.
Anyone who watched Caminero coming through the Rays farm system knew about the bat speed and raw power. The ball sounds different coming off his bat.
But there is a big difference between possessing tremendous physical tools and becoming a complete major-league hitter.
Caminero is making that transition.
His 37 home runs lead the Rays, as do his 88 RBI. His .904 OPS puts him among the better offensive players in baseball.
The advanced numbers make his season even more impressive.
According to Baseball Savant, Caminero owns a 92.9 mph average exit velocity, a 50.1 percent hard-hit rate, and a 12.9 percent barrel rate.
In other words, this isn’t some lucky season.
Caminero is destroying baseballs.
His ability to consistently make hard contact is why what we are watching feels sustainable.
And Caminero Is Getting Hot at Exactly the Right Time
Perhaps the most encouraging part for the Rays is that Caminero appears to be getting better as the games become more important.
Tuesday night’s 6-2 victory over the New York Mets extended his hitting streak to 15 consecutive games.
Caminero went 2-for-4 with an RBI, including a first-inning RBI single that immediately answered Francisco Lindor’s leadoff home run.
That hit came off Sean Manaea at 103.3 mph.
It was another example of something Caminero has increasingly shown this season: an ability to deliver when the Rays need him.
Over his last seven games entering Wednesday, Caminero was hitting .385 with 10 hits, two home runs, four RBI and a .467 on-base percentage.
Over his last 30 games, he has eight home runs and 22 RBI.
That is what you want from your best offensive player heading into September.
The Padres Got a Firsthand Look
San Diego certainly saw what Caminero can do.
Caminero homered in consecutive games against the Padres over the weekend.
Saturday, he launched his 36th home run of the season.
Then Sunday came one of those swings that reminds everyone just how special this kid can become.
Caminero crushed a 440-foot home run for No. 37.
At the time, the blast moved him into a tie with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the American League home-run lead.
And Caminero didn’t exactly sneak one over the fence. He annihilated it.
There are home runs, and then there are the kind of home runs that make everyone in the stadium stop and watch.
Caminero is beginning to produce a lot of the second kind.
More Than Just Power
Perhaps the biggest difference in Caminero now compared with the player who first arrived in Tampa Bay is that he isn’t swinging for home runs.
He’s becoming a complete hitter. He’s taking walks, handling different types of pitching, and using the entire field better.
And he’s becoming much more comfortable defensively at third base.
That development matters because the Rays don’t simply need Caminero to become a 40-home-run hitter. They need him to become a complete player.
We’re beginning to see it.
Caminero Has Become the Face of the Rays
For years, the Rays have built successful teams without necessarily having one player nationally identified as the guy.
They’ve had All-Stars, a Cy Young winner, and some terrific teams.
Caminero has an opportunity to become something different.
He can become the player people around baseball immediately associate with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays are sitting near the top of the American League and preparing for what they hope will be a long October run.
There are plenty of reasons why.
The starting pitching has been outstanding. The bullpen has been good. Yandy Díaz continues to hit.
Chandler Simpson has become an important part of the offense.
But when you look at this Rays lineup and ask which player opposing pitchers least want to see walking toward the batter’s box with the game on the line, the answer is becoming obvious.
It’s No. 13.
And He’s Only 23
That’s the part Rays fans should remember.
Caminero turned 23 in July.
He’s already a two-time All-Star and entered Wednesday with 89 career home runs despite having only 1,328 major-league at-bats.
Forty home runs could be on the horizon soon, and fifty is not out of the question.
MVP conversations?
If Caminero continues developing the way he has, those are coming too.
For an organization that has survived by developing players, maximizing talent, and finding the next undervalued piece, Caminero represents something different.
This isn’t an undervalued piece. This is a cornerstone.
October Could Introduce Caminero to the Rest of Baseball
Rays fans already know.
They’ve watched Caminero grow up in front of them and seen the enormous home runs.
They’ve watched the defensive improvements,and become more patient at the plate.
Now the rest of baseball may get its opportunity.
If the Rays make the kind of postseason run this team appears capable of making, Caminero could find himself hitting in some of the biggest nationally televised games of his career.
And that may be when the conversation changes outside Tampa Bay. Because Junior Caminero isn’t simply becoming the face of the Tampa Bay Rays.
He’s becoming one of the faces of the American League.
And if the last few months are any indication, baseball fans around the country are going to know plenty about Junior Caminero soon enough.
