Player of the Series: Junior Caminero

It may be a lost season for the Tampa Bay Rays but there is still a reason to watch this team in 2025 and it’s Junior Caminero.

The now 22-year old slugger is in his first full season as a big leaguer and has shown exactly why he was one of the top prospects in the game. There of course have been some growing pains, but since putting on a show and finishing second in the Home Run Derby, Caminero has found a new gear and has become one of the best players in the game.

Overall this season, Caminero is hitting

.262/.301/.545 with 44 HR, registering a 127 wRC+ and has accrued 4.2 fWAR. Since the All-Star break, Caminero is hitting 279/.318/.625 with 21 HR, registering a 153 wRC+ and 2.3 fWAR over 52 games; his 21 HR are the 2nd highest and SLG% is the 4th highest.

All that to say, Caminero is the 48th Draysbay Player of the Series this season, his 6th time winning the honoro this year.

Over the three games, which the Rays dropped two of, Caminero hit .308/.357/.846 and added two more homeruns to his season total. Caminero is now just two homeruns shy of Carlos Pena’s single-season record, which he set in 2007.

Side note: Nick Fortes was also in consideration as he hit .500/.556/1.125 and launched a go-ahead homerun on Saturday that led to the Rays lone victory.

DRAYSBAY PLAYER OF THE SERIES