Rays third baseman Junior Caminero entered last season as a future star. He entered this season as a bright, young star. Now, he's leading the best team in the American League and is putting together an MVP-caliber campaign. He celebrated his 23rd birthday Sunday and sits third in AL MVP odds (via DraftKings):
- Yordan Alvarez, -160
- Nick Kurtz, +400
- Junior Caminero, +600
- Bobby Witt Jr., +700
Could he make Rays history? We'll get to that in a bit.
Even as great as Caminero was last season, at age 21, mind you, he's already made improvements this season and is one of the best all-around hitters in baseball. His walk rate has risen from 6.3% to 12.9%. His strikeout rate has lowered to 17.8%, down from 19.1%. He's using more of the field, as his pull percentage has fallen. And none of this has sacrificed his power: he's hitting the ball harder this season (via exit velocity and hard hit percentage). He swings hard, too, as he sits at the 100th percentile in bat speed.
Through 87 games this season, Caminero is hitting .288/.378/.561 (157 OPS+). After a 45-homer, 110-RBI season in 2025, he's already put up 26 home runs and 56 RBI this time around. Player ages by season are determined by their age on June 30, meaning Caminero is technically in his age-22 season. Do you know how many players have had multiple 40-homer, 100-RBI seasons through age 22?
One. Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews. The only other players to even do it once are Caminero, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Johnny Bench, Joe DiMaggio and Mel Ott.
Dating back to June 23, Caminero has hit 11 home runs in 11 games, including six consecutive games with a homer. He's just five home runs shy of the Rays' record before the All-Star break; Jose Canseco hit 31 in 1999.
As noted, though, it isn't just power. Caminero is the total package. He's seventh in the AL in batting average (yes, there are only six AL hitters at .290 or above ... sigh), ninth in on-base percentage and third in slugging percentage. He's fifth in hits and second in home runs.
Caminero's defense has also improved to the point that he's trailing only three players in WAR: Witt, Kevin McGonigle and Alvarez.
Meanwhile, the Rays have the best record in the AL by four games. They're on pace to win 97 games, which would tie their third-highest mark in franchise history with 2008, trailing only the 100 wins in 2021 and 99 in 2023.
Last season, trapped in the Yankees' spring training facility while Tropicana Field underwent repairs following bad hurricane damage, the Rays faced an uneven schedule, with the middle portion of their schedule stacked with road games to avoid playing outdoors in the sweltering heat. It caught up with them. They were 48-39 through July 2 and 29-46 afterward.
This time around, the Rays are back home and loving it, at least it seems that way in looking at their performance. They are an MLB-best 31-12 at home. And Caminero, their best player, has been a significant part of that. He's hitting .338/.435/.675 with 15 home runs in 43 games at The Trop.
Should things continue on this path, Caminero would be a major factor in the MVP race. I mentioned Rays history earlier. Not only have the Rays never had an MVP, but they are the only team to never have a player finish in the top three. In fact, they haven't even had one finish in the top five. Evan Longoria finished sixth in both 2010 and 2013.
Caminero is heading toward the best individual position-player season in Rays history and he could well win an MVP in his age-22 season. The only players in MLB history to win an MVP in their age-22 or younger seasons are Vida Blue (1971, age 21), Bryce Harper (22 in 2015), Mike Trout (22 in 2014), Cal Ripken Jr. (22 in 1983), Johnny Bench (22 in 1970) and Stan Musial (22 in 1943).
Simply, keep an eye on this kid. He's special.
