Junior Caminero didn’t take home the American League MVP Award, but he got closer than any player in Rays history.
The Tampa Bay third baseman finished second in Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting Thursday night, trailing Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who claimed all 30 first-place votes on MLB Network. Bobby Witt Jr. finished third. For the Rays, it was a milestone anyway: no player in franchise history had ever placed higher in AL MVP voting.
Alvarez ran away with the award behind a monster season that put him at the top of the majors in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.432) and slugging percentage (.601). He became the fourth player this century to lead MLB in all three categories, joining fellow MVPs Aaron Judge in 2025, Miguel Cabrera in 2013 and Barry Bonds in 2002.
He also led the majors in OPS+ (190) and walks (109), while ranking near the top in homers (42) and RBIs (106) and pacing the AL in total bases (341). Alvarez joined Judge (2025) and Cabrera (2012-13) as the only players since 1970 to win the AL batting title while hitting at least 40 homers.
Caminero’s finish still says plenty about the season he put together. He received 27 of 30 second-place votes and three third-place votes, ending with 267 points.
Witt finished with 188. Caminero had been ninth in last year’s voting, so this was a massive leap.
The Rays third baseman had a case built on both production and workload. He started at third base in all 162 regular-season games, giving him the defensive edge in the comparison with Alvarez, who was mostly a designated hitter for Houston. And he wasn’t just a durable presence - he was the engine of the AL’s best team.
Tampa Bay went 98-64, posted the league’s best record and reached the World Series, with Caminero playing a major role throughout. He hit .276/.360/.524 with 42 homers, 101 RBIs, a 144 OPS+ and a team-high 5.8 wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference.
Earlier this month, Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander made clear how central Caminero has become to the club’s identity.
“He's as critical a player to our success as we have,” Neander said earlier this month. “It’s not lost on us what kind of not just talent we have, but what kind of character we have, what kind of professional we have, what kind of drive Junior has within him to not be satisfied with the two unbelievable seasons that he's had, but just the obsession to continue to get better.”
That growth showed up early and often. Caminero still brought the same elite bat speed and raw power that fueled his 45-homer, 110-RBI season a year ago, but he also became much more complete at the plate. His walks jumped from 41 in 2025 to 79 this season, his on-base percentage rose from .311 to .360, and his strikeout rate dipped from 19.1% to 18.4%.
That kind of jump made the 23-year-old one of the league’s best all-around hitters and an MVP contender in just his second full Major League season.
“Surprised, but not surprised at the same time. Just exceptionally talented [and] as driven as he is talented,” Neander said.
“His feedback loop from getting feedback, constructive criticism, processing it and applying it, oftentimes that's an offseason, right? ‘All right, next year I’m going to come back and I’m going to address that, and I’m going to be better for it next year.’
With Junior, it takes like 20 minutes.”
Neander also pointed to the way Caminero carries himself.
“It's remarkable just how quick he can observe, process and apply adjustments to his craft. Give him a tremendous amount of credit for that.
And I think we saw that over the course of the season,” Neander said. “As talented as he is, I think what truly separates him is his desire to not just be a star, but act like a star, work like a star and be that kind of behavioral example at even a young age for others to follow.”
For the Rays, the wait for a first AL MVP continues. For Caminero, the finish only strengthens the sense that it may not last much longer.
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