DETROIT -- Standing in front of his locker in the corner of the home clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner Field last month, Junior Caminero thought about taking part in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby and smiled.
“I mean, if I go -- I'm not going to say I'm going to win,” Caminero said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez, “but I will put on a good show for the fans.”
Get a good seat, because the show starts Monday.
After being added to the American League All-Star team on Tuesday night, Caminero announced Wednesday morning that he will take part in the Home Run Derby at Truist Park in Atlanta.
“I’m going to put on a show. I’m going to try to put on a show just to give the fans the opportunity to get to know me, see my power,” Caminero said Wednesday afternoon before the Rays’ series finale against Detroit. “Just being there with all those other All-Stars, it’s going to be something very special.”
Capping a dizzying series of events on the All-Star front, Caminero received word after the Rays’ 7-3 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park that he will be the American League’s starting third baseman in the Midsummer Classic, as José Ramírez opted out of the game.
Caminero will be the second Rays player to start the All-Star Game at third base, as franchise icon Evan Longoria did so in 2010.
So, in the span of roughly 24 hours, Caminero went from not being selected to play in the All-Star Game to being in the starting lineup and taking part in the Home Run Derby. The sequence left him emotional and nearly speechless.
“Thank God for everything,” Caminero said Wednesday night. “I'm just imagining and thinking about when they call my name and me coming out of that dugout. Just wow.”
Caminero said his family and a few close friends will be in Atlanta for his first All-Star Game experience. He doesn’t plan to change his swing or stance for the event. And he’s going to hit off Rays Major League field coordinator Tomas Francisco, who pitched to former Ray Randy Arozarena as he advanced to the finals of the 2023 Derby.
“To me, he’s the best BP thrower that we have – and probably anywhere,” Caminero said.
Caminero, too, seems made for an event like this.
Among Major League hitters, his elite bat speed -- which he calls “a gift from God” -- is surpassed only by Pirates star Oneil Cruz, who will also take part in the Derby. When he connects with a baseball, he can practically launch it into orbit with jaw-dropping exit velocities.
He once put on a round of batting practice so impressive that Blue Jays fans in Toronto gave him a standing ovation after seeing him pepper the upper decks with BP homers. Rays manager Kevin Cash still says it’s the best moment he’s ever witnessed in batting practice.
Caminero said he wants to do “something like that” as he steps into baseball’s spotlight at Truist Park.
“We get to see him do probably a modified Home Run Derby every time he takes batting practice. I’m excited for him. I’m excited for his family,” Cash said. “Somewhat of a coming-out party for him. Hopefully, he gets the recognition that we’ve all seen in the talent and the ability to hit the ball a long way.”
Caminero has the numbers to back it up, too. In his first full season with the Rays, the slugging third baseman -- who just turned 22 years old last Saturday -- has slugged 21 homers in 86 games. Only Cal Raleigh, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, Eugenio Suárez, Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, James Wood and Riley Greene have hit more.
“It’s tough to give a comp to him. When he walks in the room, you know right away you have something special,” hitting coach Chad Mottola said. “You don’t want to put that type of pressure on him, but he has game-changing ability at 20, 21, now just turning 22 and being an All-Star.”
At 22 years and 10 days old, Caminero will be the youngest All-Star in Rays history and the youngest in the Majors this season. As only the fourth Tampa Bay player to participate in the Derby, Caminero has a chance to become the club’s first winner and the youngest champion in the event’s history. The current youngest is Juan Gonzalez, who was 23 years and 265 days old in 1993.
“What he's been able to do this year, it's extremely fun to watch. You kind of forget that he's a 22-year-old kid,” said fellow All-Star Brandon Lowe. “I saw he was gonna be in the Derby, and I was just like, ‘Oh, this just got a lot more fun.’
“I know that there's some guys that can swing the bat in this Derby, but I'm really excited to see what Cami can do and kind of show off for those fans up there in Atlanta.”
Indeed, Caminero seems to have a flair for the moment that will play well in an event like the Derby. For proof, look no further than his game-winning home run in Game 7 of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League’s championship series, a 454-foot moonshot off the scoreboard that preceded a minute-long trot around the bases.
How might Caminero celebrate his first Home Run Derby title? As he said, it’ll be a good show.