Junior Caminero is taking his power show to Philadelphia.
The Rays’ 22-year-old star announced Tuesday that he’ll compete in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 13 at Citizens Bank Park, with the event set to air live on Netflix. It’ll be his second straight trip to the Derby after finishing runner-up to Cal Raleigh last year at Truist Park in Atlanta.
Caminero already proved he belongs on that stage. In last season’s event, he reached the finals before falling 18-15 to Raleigh during a 45-homer campaign. He became just the fourth Rays player ever to take part in the Derby, joining Evan Longoria in 2008, Carlos Peña in 2009 and Randy Arozarena in 2023.
Now he gets another shot, and the timing is perfect. Caminero turns 23 on Sunday, giving him another chance to become the youngest Home Run Derby winner. That record belongs to Juan Gonzalez, who was 23 years and 265 days old when he won in 1993.
The buzz around Caminero isn’t just about the Derby. He’s also a finalist to start at third base for the American League in the Midsummer Classic, and the reason is obvious: the power plays anywhere, anytime. His nickname, “La Maxima,” fits.
This season, he’s hitting .292/.384/.548 with 22 homers and 49 RBIs in Tampa Bay’s first 81 games, and he’s done it while showing more discipline at the plate to go with his elite bat speed. The result has been one of the Majors’ most dangerous hitters, not just one of the loudest.
The numbers behind the power are eye-popping. Caminero leads the Majors in average bat speed at 80 mph, a full tick ahead of the next hitter. Only three players have hit a ball harder than him this season, and only three have hit a ball farther.
His latest blast said plenty. On Sunday at Tropicana Field, he launched a career-long 463-foot homer that landed on the concourse beyond the center-field fence. Afterward, veteran center fielder Cedric Mullins summed it up this way: “That was the type of ball that made everyone go quiet.”
That kind of noise has become routine for Caminero. He’s the reigning AL Player of the Week after going 7-for-7 with seven homers, 15 RBIs, four doubles, four walks and eight runs over his past seven games. He became the first player with at least seven homers and at least 15 RBIs in a six-game span since Kyle Schwarber in June 2021, and he finished the week with home runs in four straight games.
That run included his first career three-homer game last Thursday against the Royals.
And if history is any guide, he’ll bring the same kind of thunder to the Derby stage. Last year, before the competition even began, Caminero made his promise simple: “I’m going to put on a show.”
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