This story was excerpted from Adam Berry's Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
TAMPA -- The Rays’ hot stretch over the past month has not only thrust them back into the American League East race and changed the perception of them as the halfway point of the season draws near, but it also has given them a bunch of convincing candidates for next month’s All-Star Game, including one compelling contender for the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
First baseman Jonathan Aranda is probably their most worthy All-Star, considering what he has done all season and where he ranks among the Majors’ best hitters. You don’t have to scroll far to find Drew Rasmussen’s name among the league leaders in ERA, WHIP and other statistics. There isn’t a second baseman in baseball who can match Brandon Lowe’s home runs and RBIs.
“We’ve got a handful of guys that are putting together some really strong first halves,” manager Kevin Cash said on Thursday.
Then there’s Junior Caminero.
Along with Lowe, the 21-year-old third baseman has been central to the Rays’ offensive surge. He entered Thursday leading all regular AL third basemen in home runs (17), RBIs (48) and extra-base hits (33) while ranking second in total bases (139, one behind José Ramírez), fourth in slugging percentage (.509) and seventh in OPS (.815).
If Caminero keeps doing what he has recently, his case will look even better by the time the Midsummer Classic rolls around.
After an 0-for-4 game on May 20, Caminero’s slash line was .230/.259/.402. He had eight home runs, 20 RBIs, a 20.5% strikeout rate and a 4.3% walk rate in 45 games.
Cash then gave Caminero two days off, and the player spent the week with a Dominican hitting coach he had worked with before.
From May 23 through his four-hit performance Wednesday, Caminero slashed .323/.385/.697 with nine homers, 28 RBIs, a 12.8% strikeout rate and an 8.3% walk rate. Only Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge hit more home runs during that stretch. Nobody drove in more runs. Only Ronald Acuña Jr.’s wRC+ (233) exceeded Caminero’s 206.
Caminero said the turnaround has not been the product of a significant change, but rather the work he has been putting in with Tampa Bay’s hitting coaches and staff to get the ball in the air more often.
“Cutting down on strikeouts, probably not missing pitches he can hit and not expanding as much on some others,” Cash said. “Junior is incredibly talented, and he can cover a lot of pitches outside the strike zone. Sometimes that works in your favor, and sometimes it doesn’t. … He’s done a better job of tightening that up here recently and then, when he gets pitches over the plate, doing a lot of damage with them.”
Caminero’s raw power makes him a particularly intriguing All-Star choice. If he goes to the All-Star Game, a bigger goal, he’s a lot more likely to appear in the Home Run Derby.
“Yeah, I would be interested. I'm hoping that MLB gives me the chance to be in the All-Star Game and participate in the Home Run Derby,” Caminero said Thursday through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “It's something that I've been working for with the team, and, hopefully, I'll have the chance, because it would be a nice opportunity for me.”
Caminero’s average bat speed is up there with Oneil Cruz as the best in baseball. He once took a round of batting practice so incredible that he earned a standing ovation from the crowd … in Toronto. He’s a rising young star with a knack for finding the spotlight and with a flair for the dramatic, in case you’ve forgotten his legendary LIDOM home run and bat flip.
He’s seemingly made for an event like the Home Run Derby. Who wouldn’t want to see it?
“I mean, if I go -- I'm not going to say I'm going to win,” Caminero said with a laugh, “but I will put on a good show for the fans.”