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. • VOTE NOW: 2025 PRO SPIRIT MLB All-Star Ballot. Watch the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard July 15 on FOX 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 put in with Rays 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 power makes him an 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 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.” |
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• Stuart Sternberg has entered exclusive negotiations to sell the Rays to a group led by Patrick Zalupski, a developer based in Jacksonville. Read more >> • The Rays matched the greatest comeback win in franchise history on Wednesday night, turning an 8-0 deficit into a 12-8 victory. Read more >> • Reliever Hunter Bigge was taken to a hospital after being struck in the face by a foul ball on Thursday. Read more >> • MLB Pipeline looks at one prospect for each team pushing for a promotion. Read more >> |
Shane Baz is set to start the series opener against the Tigers on Friday, but Thursday was neat for him, as well. It was his bobblehead night at George M. Steinbrenner Field, and he got to see the first bobblehead in his likeness. Baz had a box full of the bobbleheads by his locker, bound to be delivered to friends and family. His teammates were eager to grab a few, with some even asking for Baz’s autograph. “They did an amazing job. It honestly exceeded my expectations a little bit,” Baz said, smiling. “I mean, everyone else's that they've had looked really good. They definitely didn't take any shortcuts with it.” |
When Forrest Whitley joined the Rays, he outlined a few simple changes they had suggested. They wanted to help him shorten his arm action, creating a more repeatable delivery that would lead to consistent strike-throwing, and they asked him to throw his cutter more often. Could the Rays again be working their pitching magic? Granted, it has been only two appearances, but the former top prospect took Tampa Bay’s advice and saw immediate results. He worked a clean ninth inning in his team debut on Monday and a perfect eighth on Wednesday. He threw his cutter more than any other pitch, and 17 of his 24 pitches across the two appearances were strikes. “We were excited about how he looked,” Cash said after Whitley’s first outing. “It's a lot of power, really good stuff. Felt like he presented very confidently on the mound with the cutter, the breaking ball and both fastballs. “I think it'll just be an ongoing message between him and [pitching coach Kyle Snyder] and [bullpen coach Jorge Moncada] in discussing whatever we can do to allow that stuff to play out consistently, because it's really good stuff.” |
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