Rays Junior Caminero homers off former first round pick in live batting practice

Is there a hotter hitter on this earth than the Rays third baseman of the future, Junior Caminero? Probably not, if we're honest. After winning the Dominican League MVP and single-handedly carrying his hometown club to the championship, the 21-year old infielder is continuing his stretch of excellence in spring training. Yesterday, Caminero lifted a homer off of Rays young starting pitcher Shane Baz.

Baz is coming off of a solid year as he threw 79 innings and produced a 2.1 WAR. His return from injury has been arduous and we wouldn't consider him giving up this blast to be anything of concern. As MLB pitchers ease into the upcoming season, they are testing out all of their pitches and practicing their locations.

The more impressive part is the Caminero home run. Hitters have a more difficult time getting their timing down as they prepare for the marathon of a season, so the fact that this slugger already appears to be in mid-season form is very encouraging.

His Winter League play may be a major contributor to how he looks right now, as the infielder was able to view consistent pitching throughout the offseason. A primary cause of great hitting is just seeing pitching... all the time. Although the hurlers in the Dominican League are less efficient than big league arms, Caminero doesn't seem to have an issue with his timing at the moment.

Heading into the 2025 season, Junior Caminero is projected to be the most productive Rays player in his first full season. According to FanGraphs Steamer projections, he will slash .261/.312/.451 with 29 home runs and 93 RBIs. Those numbers would portray an all-around offensive campaign, but how will he match up with his veteran teammates?

Yandy Diaz is projected to have a better average and on-base percentage next year, as the former AL batting champion is approaching his walk year. Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, on the other hand, is likely to produce a lower batting average, but his power stats could look strikingly similar to Caminero's, especially at George Steinbrenner Field.

This fierce competition on the offensive side will be a welcomed site, not for the sake of crowning a top player on the team, but rather to push these fantastic athletes to their full potential.