Budding superstar Caminero on precipice of more history

TORONTO -- When Junior Caminero reported to Spring Training, the hype was inescapable. He had been MLB’s top overall prospect for a time during his rookie season, then he became a hero in his hometown and a viral sensation online after his championship-winning home run -- and extended, joyous trot around the bases -- while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic.

No less an authority than Albert Pujols, Caminero’s winter ball manager, told Dominican reporters that the third baseman was “a future Hall of Famer.” Those aren’t typical words of praise for a player who was, at the time, 21 years old with 50 games of Major League experience.

Somehow, Caminero has lived up to the hype. He has outperformed the Rays’ expectations and even his own, emerging as a legitimate star in his first full season. After hitting his 45th homer on Friday night and going 2-for-3 with a walk in a 5-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre, the All-Star slugger will have one more shot in Sunday’s finale to match (or break) Carlos Peña’s single-season franchise home run record.

“If I don't do it this year, this is just my first full season, so it'll come. I know I'm capable of hitting 50, 60,” Caminero said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “If it's not this year, God willing, I have more years to come, and one of those years it's going to happen.”

Whether he breaks Peña’s record or not, this has still been a special season for Caminero. He began the year hoping to hit 30 home runs, and he will enter the final game batting .264/.310/.537 with 28 doubles, 110 RBIs and 4.4 WAR along with his 45 homers, an All-Star nod and a second-place finish in the Home Run Derby.

In the American League, only MVP candidates Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge have hit more home runs, and only four players (Raleigh, Judge, Riley Greene and Vinnie Pasquantino) have driven in more runs. He’s the fifth player in MLB history to hit 45 homers in a season before turning 23, joining Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Johnny Bench, Eddie Mathews and Joe DiMaggio.

“He's surpassed, certainly, my expectations. I'm proud of him. I'm happy for him,” manager Kevin Cash said. “And he's just so driven and motivated to continue to get better.”

With his performance on the field and his time in the spotlight, Caminero has also become one of the game’s brightest young stars. Fans seek his autograph and wear his No. 13 jersey. Opposing players ask him to chat or take pictures before games. When the Rays played on Apple TV+ on Friday night, Caminero was opposite Guerrero in all the promotional material.

He conducted an interview in English with FanDuel Sports Network Sun before Saturday’s game, saying he will focus on learning the language more this offseason to better handle the responsibilities that come with being the face of the franchise and an example to younger players and fans.

“Now, people know who Junior Caminero is,” he said. “That feels very special, because I know that I have to perform -- not only on the field, but off the field.”

The way he handled his success this season quickly earned Caminero the respect of his veteran peers, according to Cash.

“Could not be more impressed with the quality of person that he is, the quality of teammate,” Cash said. “That's a credit to him, his upbringing, and [I] fully expect that to continue.”

That is one thing the Rays have learned about Caminero this year: He wants to improve, and he will put in the work to do so.

Cash praised Caminero on Saturday not for his home run the night before, but for the walk he worked to lead off the fourth on Friday, laying off pitches outside the zone rather than trying to force the issue. He doesn’t strike out a lot, by the standards of a modern power hitter, but further patience at the plate will round out his offensive game and elevate him to what Cash called “superstar status.”

Once a defensive liability who was removed late in games at the beginning of the season, Caminero worked tirelessly to improve at third base, saying he wanted to answer a challenge from Cash “to put the same emphasis I put on my offense to my defense.” And he wants to take another step forward next year.

“I've been working now, and I will continue to work. It's going to be one of my focuses during the offseason, working on my defense,” he said. “The goal for next year will be [to] at least be a finalist for a Gold Glove.”

After what he did this season, anything seems possible.