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It’s time to have a serious conversation about the Tampa Bay Rays young superstar.
And that conversation is that there is a strong possibility that Junior Caminero could win American League MVP this season.
After finishing ninth in votes last season, the 22-year-old is off to a hot start as we head closer to the All-Star break. A game that he will surely be voted into.
The 22-year-old hit his 23rd homer of the night on Tuesday, continuing to see the ball extremely well. According to MLB Stats, he is just the 4th player since 1900 to homer in 5 straight games at his age. His multiple early home runs this past weekend made him the first player in Rays history with a 1st inning homer in 3 straight games.
He is playing at an elite level that not many can duplicate in all of baseball.
He currently has the 5th best odds to win the AL MVP behind Yordan Alvarez, Nick Kurtz, Bobby Witt Jr. and Ben Rice. All have had great seasons, but only Astros Alvarez is ahead of him in home runs out of the bunch.
Currently, following Tuesday’s win against the Royals, Caminero is 3rd in the American League in home runs (23), 6th in batting average (.294), 6th in hits (91) and 12th in RBIs (52).
The only concern, and one that has hurt his chances of being seen as a bigger frontrunner, is his numbers away from Tropicana Field. Although he is on pace for 45 homers for the second straight season, his home-road split isn’t the best. He currently has an outstanding 1.110 OPS at home, but only .767 when on the road. If he can improve that as well as his subpar .230 average with runners in scoring position, he will quickly turn into a front runner as long as the bat stays hot.
The idea that Caminero should be considered for AL MVP should remind the Rays front office, especially Eric Neander, that this team is special and has the right foundation to make a deep run if the right supporting pieces are added. The young third baseman is certainly making a case to surpass players such as Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians as the best hot corner in the game today.
Continue reading...
And that conversation is that there is a strong possibility that Junior Caminero could win American League MVP this season.
After finishing ninth in votes last season, the 22-year-old is off to a hot start as we head closer to the All-Star break. A game that he will surely be voted into.
The 22-year-old hit his 23rd homer of the night on Tuesday, continuing to see the ball extremely well. According to MLB Stats, he is just the 4th player since 1900 to homer in 5 straight games at his age. His multiple early home runs this past weekend made him the first player in Rays history with a 1st inning homer in 3 straight games.
He is playing at an elite level that not many can duplicate in all of baseball.
He currently has the 5th best odds to win the AL MVP behind Yordan Alvarez, Nick Kurtz, Bobby Witt Jr. and Ben Rice. All have had great seasons, but only Astros Alvarez is ahead of him in home runs out of the bunch.
Currently, following Tuesday’s win against the Royals, Caminero is 3rd in the American League in home runs (23), 6th in batting average (.294), 6th in hits (91) and 12th in RBIs (52).
The only concern, and one that has hurt his chances of being seen as a bigger frontrunner, is his numbers away from Tropicana Field. Although he is on pace for 45 homers for the second straight season, his home-road split isn’t the best. He currently has an outstanding 1.110 OPS at home, but only .767 when on the road. If he can improve that as well as his subpar .230 average with runners in scoring position, he will quickly turn into a front runner as long as the bat stays hot.
The idea that Caminero should be considered for AL MVP should remind the Rays front office, especially Eric Neander, that this team is special and has the right foundation to make a deep run if the right supporting pieces are added. The young third baseman is certainly making a case to surpass players such as Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians as the best hot corner in the game today.
Continue reading...
