Caminero dazzles in Home Run Derby, falling just short in final

ATLANTA – When Junior Caminero found out he would be participating in the 2025 T-Mobile Home Run Derby, he made one promise to the fans at Truist Park and those watching on TV around the world.

“I’m going to put on a show,” Caminero said through a translator.

Caminero backed up his words Monday night, reaching the finals before falling to the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh – the Majors’ home run leader – by an 18-15 final score.

“I'm very proud of myself,” Caminero said. “I didn't think I was going to hit as many homers and make it to the finals, but it was exciting. My hat’s off to the guy from Seattle, Raleigh; he put on a show, too.”

Caminero is participating in his first All-Star Game, having replaced Boston’s Alex Bregman on the AL roster. He joined Evan Longoria (2008), Carlos Pena (2009) and Randy Arozarena (2023) as the only Rays players to take part in the Derby.

In preparation for the event, Caminero sought advice from Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández, last year’s Derby champion, who is represented by the same agency as Caminero.

Caminero and his Derby pitcher, Rays Major League field coordinator Tomas Francisco, held a few practice rounds during the past week, giving the young slugger an opportunity to see how his body and swing reacted to the fast-paced showcase.

“It’s a different kind of stress on my body,” Caminero said earlier this week. “I’ve been practicing the minutes, the swings, just getting ready physically and mentally.”

Caminero seemed more than prepared on Monday, peppering the left-field seats with 11 homers in his first 100 seconds before calling his time out with 1:20 remaining. Elly De La Cruz and Fernando Tatis Jr. walked to the plate to provide some words of encouragement to their fellow Dominican, who went on to hit seven more for a regulation total of 18. He added three more in bonus time for a first-round score to 21.

“They are my guys,” Caminero said of Tatis and De La Cruz. “They were supporting me right there.”

Sixteen of those homers traveled at least 425 feet while four eclipsed the 470-foot mark, his longest measuring 475 feet. His average homer in the round clocked in at 103.7 mph and traveled 442 feet, as his 21 blasts combined to cover 9,283 feet – more than 1.75 miles worth of homers.

The ferocity of Caminero’s swing shouldn’t have surprised anybody; his 78.0 mph average bat speed is second in the Majors among qualified hitters, trailing only fellow Derby participant Oneil Cruz of the Pirates (78.6 mph), whose 21 homers matched Caminero for the first-round lead.

Caminero was the No. 2 seed in the semis, as Cruz took the top seed by hitting the longest first-round homer of the two – a 513-foot blast. That seeding earned Caminero a semifinal showdown with Byron Buxton of the Twins, who belted 20 homers in the opening round.

Buxton hit six homers in his two-minute round, adding one more during his bonus time for a total of seven. That gave Caminero a very beatable goal, one he reached with ease.

Caminero needed only 57 seconds to dispose of Buxton, launching eight home runs in 12 pitches to advance to the finals. His longest homer in the semis traveled 460 feet, averaging 433 feet and 103.8 mph on his eight long balls.

“We were just trying to hit eight,” Caminero said. “And we did it quickly.”

That moved Caminero, who was trying to become the first Tampa Bay player to win the event and the youngest Derby winner in history, into a finals matchup with Raleigh.

Raleigh led off the finals by bashing 15 in his two-minute round, tacking on three more in bonus time.

Caminero launched 12 of the first 18 pitches he saw over the fence, including one that a kid shagging flies in left field reached over the fence to rob. But since replay showed the ball would have cleared the fence, it counted as a homer.

“Things happen; he was enjoying himself there, too,” Caminero said. “He did something that he thought was fun. It’s fine.”

Caminero hit only two homers in his final seven swings before running out of balls – each competitor in the finals gets 27 – with eight seconds left. Needing four homers in bonus time to tie Raleigh, Caminero could manage only one home run, ending his night as the runner-up to Raleigh.

Despite finishing second, Caminero said he will “hopefully” get another opportunity to participate in the Derby, which seemed to have exceeded expectations for the Rays All-Star.

“It was a tremendous experience,” Caminero said. “It was something that I dreamed of as a kid. I wasn't disappointed at all.”