Tag: Junior

In an offseason featuring challenging stadium issues and few notable roster improvements, there actually has been some encouraging news for the Rays.

Third baseman Junior Caminero is putting on quite a show in the Dominican league, hitting .440 through his first 24 games and piling up praise.

Most notably from his Escogido manager, who knows a bit about hitting — Albert Pujols.

“The energy that Junior Caminero brings is incredible. For his age (21), he is a blessing. A future Hall of Famer, God willing,” Pujols told Dominican reporters last week.

“He has a lot to learn, and I think that this league is going to help him a lot. But it is impressive what he does every night, not only at the plate but defensively as well, where he has improved a lot. And my job as manager, and for (the coaching) staff, is to try to help him to improve so that his team continues to give him that confidence and that he has a tremendous career. …

“You see part of the blessing that we have as a country, the future of Major League Baseball, Junior Caminero.”

The fans have embraced him as well, as Caminero receives attention wherever he goes — the kind usually afforded established or retired stars.

That included a recent invitation to meet with Dominican president Luis Abinader in his office during which, Caminero posted on Instagram, it was “an honor to be able to exchange ideas on issues related to the development of the country and sport.”

Caminero also visited the Rays academy to attend a high school graduation ceremony for players there.

With friends and family pushing him to play for his hometown team, Caminero suited up in mid-December. His performance in nine regular-season games was just a warmup for his dazzling run in the 20-game, round-robin league semifinals.

In his first 15 tournament games, Caminero hit.448 (26-for-58) with a .492 on-base and .793 slugging percentage for a 1.285 OPS. He drove in 14 runs, rapped 12 extra-base hits and struck out only twice.

Rays manager Kevin Cash saw Caminero play two games last weekend during a planned trip to the Dominican. He said he was impressed not only by how well Caminero was playing, but how he was doing so.

“He’s taken his offseason really serious, and we’re really proud of him for that,” Cash said.

“He’s worked hard. He looks good. He’s worked on his overall health and nutrition and taking some ownership of that. That’s what we’re really excited about.”

Also exciting, Cash said, was what he heard from Pujols, the three-time league MVP and 11-time All-Star.

“Basically, he said that (Caminero’s) talent is pretty undeniable,” Cash said. “Talking to Albert and their entire staff, they all said just what a good guy he was, what a good teammate. That he cares about winning. He brings a lot of energy.”

Caminero will stay with Escogido through the best-of-seven-championship series versus Licey, but won’t go if the Leones advance to the Jan. 31-Feb. 7 Caribbean Series in Mexico.

The Rays, obviously, are counting on Caminero to be a key part of their lineup.

Much of their potential for success seems based on hope — for bounce-back seasons by Josh Lowe, Christopher Morel and, potentially, Eloy Jimenez; breakouts by Jonathan Aranda, Jose Caballero, Richie Palacios and Jonny DeLuca; and good health for veterans Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz and newcomer Danny Jansen.

Caminero — with a .246 average and .708 OPS through his first 50 major-league games — has the talent to make a huge difference.

Rays rumblings

Single-game tickets will be available sometime after the Feb. 15 Fan Fest. … The spring workout schedule will be pushed back a day due to an inadvertent conflict with CBA/union rules, so pitchers and catchers will have their first on-field session Feb. 12 and the full squad Feb. 17. (The game schedule won’t change.) … The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote Friday that Stuart Sternberg’s team ownership “appears headed for a crossroads” and that if he can’t “salvage” the planned new stadium deal “he should sell the club to a group that would stand a greater chance of getting a park built in Tampa, where the team would be better positioned to thrive.” Rosenthal also quoted commissioner Rob Manfred saying, “My goal is to make baseball work in the Tampa Bay region.” … Brandon Lowe was seventh in MLB Network’s ranking of top 10 second basemen. … The 7:35 p.m. start times for summer games seems late, but if it makes for fewer games starting and then being delayed by rain it will be worth it. Plus, potentially less traffic for arriving fans. … An MLB-high nine Rays made Baseball Prospectus’ list of top 101 prospects, though not Tre’ Morgan or Chandler Simpson. The list: Carson Williams (7), Brody Hopkins (57), Jackson Baumeister (60), Xavier Isaac (67), Dom Keegan (69), Brayden Taylor (70), top ’24 draft pick Theo Gillen (87), Trevor Harrison (89) and Ty Johnson (94). … Cash also visited with Morel and Jimenez in the Dominican. … A big group of teammates attended Josh and Anna Lowe’s wedding last weekend in the Orlando area, as did ex-Rays Jason Adam, Tyler Glasnow, Colin Poche, Jeffrey Springs and Luke Raley. … After inking 12 players Wednesday, the Rays have about $560,000 left in their international signing pool, so further additions are likely as minor-league roster spots open. … Morel joined Caminero at the graduation ceremony, as did four U.S.-based minor-leaguers who took part in an annual team visitation program to get a sense of the Dominican baseball experience. … Reliever Andrew Wantz, recovering from elbow surgery after pitching parts of the last four years with the Angels, signed a two-year minor-league deal with a 2026 camp invite. He could be ready late this season…. Hall of Fame voting results are announced Tuesday, with Ichiro Suzuki and C.C. Sabathia most likely to get in; ex-Rays Manny Ramirez, Fernando Rodney and Ben Zobrist are among others on the ballot. … The Rays were fourth in The Athletic’s recent ranking of top front offices across the four major sports, behind the NBA Thunder, Dodgers and NFL Ravens. The NHL Stars were fifth.

• • •

Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.

Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.