Rays' young phenom named to MLB.com's All-Rookie Second Team

Tampa Bay Rays fans got a glimpse of this star-in-the-making in 2023 as he was called up right before the postseason. The hype around Junior Caminero was evident. He outperformed his competition at every level. Could he live up to his potential in The Show?

At first, there was no clear answer. His talent certainly shined through, but the consistency wasn't completely there. Caminero finished 2023 with a .235 batting average after appearing in only seven regular season contests.

2024 was going to be his year. This, in fact, would be the year he shined in the Majors and possibly won some hardware as the Rays' fifth Rookie of the Year in the franchise's history, alongside Evan Longoria (2008), Jeremy Hellickson (2011), Wil Myers (2013), and Randy Arozarena (2021)! If he managed to complete the difficult feat, the Rays would have been tied with the Mariners and Tigers for the 14th most ROY awards.

Despite hitting .269 through nine Spring Training games, Caminero began his season in AAA, making the most of his time in Durham as he hit an impressive .274 with 16 HRs. A few nagging injuries were a major component to his delayed call-up.

When Caminero was promoted in mid-August, fans were expecting him to pick up right where he left off with Durham. However, he started a bit slow, but overall showed a ton of upside and started to get comfortable with the MLB club. His 2024 numbers were headlined by a series against the NL West champion Dodgers where he went 6-for-13 with four extra-base hits. This was most certainly an eye-opening performance on LA's big stage, which probably led him to be placed on MLB.com's All-Rookie Second Team. Some notable players that were also recognized on this year's team were Wyatt Langford, Parker Meadows, and former Rays' minor leaguer Xavier Edwards. You would be hard-pressed to find a player that the Tampa Bay faithful are more excited to watch for a full season this coming year.

We believe that Caminero's 2025 campaign will be one to remember. Although some young stars falter in their sophomore seasons, we're anticipating a breakout year from the Dominican star.

2025 stats prediction for Junior Caminero: .264 AVG with 23 HRs and 84 RBI