Despite Stadium Woes, Rays Stars Are Having A Historic Year
At just 21, Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero blasted his way into baseball history. His 19 homers and 50 RBIs through 73 games put him alongside legends Alex Rodriguez and Albert…
TORONTO, ON – MAY 13: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays tosses his bat aside after hitting a grand slam home run in the ninth inning during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 13, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
At just 21, Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero blasted his way into baseball history. His 19 homers and 50 RBIs through 73 games put him alongside legends Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols as the only players to reach these numbers before turning 22 in MLB's Wild Card Era.
On June 22, Caminero belted another one out against Detroit, notching his second homer in as many games. The young powerhouse has racked up 16 doubles, scored 46 runs, and stolen five bases while maintaining a .265 batting average.
His numbers show incredible improvement - climbing from a .246 average in 50 games last year to an .833 OPS and 1.6 WAR this season. With a bat speed of 78 mph, he stands among MLB's hardest hitters.
The budding star now ranks ninth in AL home runs. His hot streak placed him 16th in slugging and 19th in RBIs. During an impressive run against Houston, he hammered two homers on both May 29 and 31.
After landing in Tampa Bay through a 2021 trade with Cleveland, Caminero showed his versatility by playing multiple infield positions in the minors.
A rough patch of injuries sent him down to Triple-A Durham in 2024. But he came back firing, smashing a championship-winning homer for Leones del Escogido during winter ball in the Dominican playoffs.
Since May 20, the Rays' offense has been on fire from top to bottom. Yandy Diaz is currently having a 13-game hitting streak with multi-hit games, four homers, three doubles, a triple and 10 RBI in the 13 games. Brandon Lowe is also on-fire with an 8-game hitting streak.
