Rays' Aranda, Caminero display a hitting clinic to start this historic WBC

Of the eight members of the Rays organization participating in this year's edition of the World Baseball Classic, six of them are pitchers. Garrett Cleavinger and Griffin Jax are coming out of the bullpen for the elite Team USA squad, minor leaguers Gary Gill-Hill and Owen Wild are covering innings for Great Britain, and newly acquired Yoendrys Gomez recently made his first start for the underrated Venezuela team. However, the two shining the most during this tournament are the only two offensive players the Rays sent.

Jonathan Aranda

Team Mexico got off to a slow start in game 1 against a weaker Great Britain team. The offense didn't click until later in the game, but the Rays first baseman was locked in from the first pitch. Jonathan Aranda went 2-for-5 in the Mexican opener with an enormous go-ahead 3-run home run in the 8th inning. After Aranda's opposite field blast, the flood gates opened for Mexico's offense as they finished with eight runs, starting the tourney with a 1-0 record.

In game 2 against Team Brazil, the Mexican club collected 16 runs on 16 hits to complete a six-inning mercy rule. Aranda went a respectable 1-for-3 and drove in his fourth RBI of the classic.

Game 3 was against Team USA which naturally halted their bats for a little bit. Aranda still managed another 1-for-3 game to settle his average at .364 to this point. His stat is second on this loaded Mexico lineup behind only Jarren Duran who is having a tournament for the ages after crushing two home runs against the United States.

Junior Caminero

If you thought Aranda was dominating his competition, you should glance at Junior Caminero's numbers. In their first contest against Nicaragua, Caminero went 2-for-4 with a clutch 2-run home run to give the Dominicans the lead in the sixth inning. The only thing grander than the homer was his electric celebration with his teammates. The Dominican Republic would rally for seven more runs and a commanding 12-3 victory.

Their second game saw two more hits from the Rays third baseman and another long blast to left field. Caminero produced five RBIs in the first two games of their WBC as they routed the Netherlands 12-1.

Game 3 came against Team Israel and the DR executed their third straight double-digit run total. The final score was 10-1 behind a Fernando Tatis Jr grand slam and an Oneil Cruz screamer. Unfortunately, Junior Caminero lost his hitting streak with an 0-for-3 day, but he still holds a .400 AVG for the tournament.

The true tests are coming for both squads as Team Mexico faces an undefeated Team Italy and the Dominican Republic takes on a talented Venezuela team. We hope to see our Rays representatives continue to shine at this grand stage of baseball.