TAMPA -- On the field, Junior Caminero surpassed even the Rays’ loftiest expectations for his first full season in the Majors. The slugging third baseman launched 45 home runs, drove in 110 runs and led the team with 4.4 wins above replacement while earning his first All-Star nod as the American League’s starting third baseman.
Off the field, Caminero made an even bigger impression on his Tampa Bay coaches and teammates with his work ethic, relentless drive to improve and attitude as a top-notch teammate.
Caminero’s standout season was recognized once again as he was named to the All-MLB Second Team presented by MGM Rewards during the third annual MLB Awards show at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Thursday night.
The MLB Awards
• Check out the 2025 All-MLB First and Second Teams
• Mookie Betts has range, as a shortstop and as MLB Awards host
• Hank Aaron Award winners | Outstanding DH
• Comeback Players of the Year | Relievers of the Year
• Matt Arnold wins 2nd straight Executive of the Year Award
• Vlad Jr. wins inaugural Entertainer of the Year, Clarke's robbery named Play of the Year
• Carroll, PCA join Team USA for World Baseball Classic
• The 7 best moments from the MLB Open and MLB Awards in Las Vegas
• 4 AUSL stars honored at MLB Awards show
Guardians superstar José Ramírez was voted as the third baseman for the All-MLB First Team. Behind him is Caminero, the first Rays player named to an All-MLB team since Nick Anderson (First Team) and Brandon Lowe (Second Team) in 2020. Starter Charlie Morton is the only other Ray to receive an All-MLB spot, as he was named to the Second Team in 2019.
The All-MLB Team was introduced in 2019 to honor players’ full-season contributions in the regular season, as opposed to the All-Star selections that mostly reflect players’ first-half performance. Fans voted at MLB.com to help choose first- and second-team selections at each position.
Caminero ranked third in the AL with 45 homers, the second most in Rays history behind Carlos Peña, who hit 46 in 2007. His 110 RBIs were the most by a Tampa Bay player since Evan Longoria’s 113 in 2009 and fourth most in franchise history, 11 shy of matching Peña's 2007 record. He put up those numbers while slashing .264/.311/.535 over a team-leading 154 games.
“I'm very happy. Thank God, first, for me staying healthy all year,” Caminero said on the final day of the regular season. “It's an amazing season for me. Dream come true.”
In NL/AL history, only Milwaukee’s Eddie Mathews recorded more home runs than Caminero in an age-21-or-younger season, as Mathews hit 47 in 1953. Since 2000, only four other players have recorded at least 110 RBIs at that age or younger: Juan Soto (110) in 2019, Ryan Zimmerman (110) in 2006, Miguel Cabrera (112) in 2004 and Albert Pujols (130) in 2001.
And only two other AL third basemen, regardless of age, hit 45 homers and drove in 110 runs in a season: Alex Rodriguez in 2005 and ’07 and Harmon Killebrew in 1969.
“I would never expect any hitter to come out and hit 45 [homers] in the big leagues. That would be unfair. I don't care if it's Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge -- I mean, 45 home runs is incredible,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said during the last series of the season. “He's surpassed certainly my expectations. I'm proud of him. I'm happy for him. And he's just so driven and motivated to continue to get better.”
That part of Caminero’s profile stood out to his teammates, too, as they got to know him over the course of a full season. For all the hype he received as a former top prospect and the author of a viral game-winning homer (and lengthy celebratory trot) in the Dominican Winter League championship clincher, he put in the effort to be a star.
“He came to Spring Training with a black mark on his jersey. Everybody knew who he was. He was getting more hype than any player on our roster, and I thought he handled that incredibly well,” Cash said. “And I think after a month or two months of success, his veteran teammates realized, ‘Hey, this guy is impressive on the field and off the field.'”
Lowe said exactly that at the end of the year, reflecting on the way Caminero worked to become a noticeably better defender at third base after he was subbed out for a defensive replacement early in the season.
“I think the coolest thing was that he sat down with Cash and was like, ‘I don't want to come out of those games. What do I have to do to make sure I don't come out of those games?’” Lowe recalled. “I think Cashy kind of laid it out and said, ‘This, this and this.’ And he worked his butt off.
“For 22 [years old], I kind of feel bad for the rest of the league. They’ve got a long time of dealing with this kid.”