Buster OlneyMar 12, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseSenior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com Analyst/reporter ESPN television Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”Follow on XMultiple Authors
MIAMI — Junior Caminero appears to be a worthy heir to the throne of major league power hitters, a legacy that Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber will pass on one day to the next generation. But there’s more to Caminero than his extraordinary ability to slug a baseball that seems to appeal to his peers, something that pulls them in.
In the DR’s next game, Caminero was hit by a pitch, and as he took slow first steps toward first base, the crowd hushed appropriately, collectively concerned. Then, he broke into a big grin, yelled and waved his arms, deflecting the empathy and hyping up the crowd.
“When this kid figures it out and gets better…” Pujols said, a slight smile of amazement crossing his face. “Because there’s a lot of little things, especially with his swing he can get better at, and at 22, you don’t touch it, because he’s doing what he’s doing and putting up big numbers.”
Another star on the Dominican Republic team has had Caminero top of mind since the tournament began — and it’s a player whom Caminero has looked up to for a long time.
There is a picture of Manny Machado, from his Baltimore days, in which he is wearing an Orioles T-shirt and posing next to a boy who bears the widest, happiest grin: a very young Caminero. He wore Machado’s No. 13 while playing amateur baseball, and now wears it for the Rays. Caminero also has a chain around his neck that bears the No. 13.
“I knew he always loved that number,” Machado said — and so he plotted. When jerseys for the World Baseball Classic were handed out, Machado walked the No. 13 jersey over to Caminero, who was moved, his face instantly evolving into the same grin that he bore when his teenage self stood for that picture with Machado.
“I thought this would be pretty cool,” said Machado, who is wearing his favorite number, 3, for the tournament.
It’s not just his fellow players who are dialed into his success on the international stage — but also his major league manager.
Caminero also had by far the highest number of hits on swings of at least 80 mph during the 2025 season, according to ESPN researcher Paul Hembekides:
With Caminero so young and productive, and blossoming into superstardom in this tournament, he might be a candidate for the sort of long-term deal that Roman Anthony signed last August with the Boston Red Sox — or the one Jesus Luzardo just signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. Caminero would seem to be the kind of player any franchise would want to build around — especially a team like the Rays, who are operating under new ownership.
But those decisions are far off in the future. Until then, Machado and the other Dominican Republic players — and the Rays — will enjoy watching Caminero and all of his joy as his high ascent continues.
But it’s highly unlikely that Caminero will work out a long-term deal with them any time soon, for a range of reasons. Before Tampa Bay can clearly map out its future payroll, it must await the outcome in Wander Franco’s legal situation. In the fall of 2021, the Rays signed the shortstop to an 11-year, $182 million contract, but he has not played since August 2023. Franco, who has been on MLB’s restricted list since his arrest, was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic last summer and given a suspended sentence of two years, but an appeals court has ruled he must have a retrial.
Buster OlneyMar 12, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseSenior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com Analyst/reporter ESPN television Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseSenior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com Analyst/reporter ESPN television Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”Follow on X
Eddie Mathews, 1953: 47 Caminero, 2025: 45 Mel Ott, 1929: 42 Ronald Acuna Jr., 2019: 41
Caminero: 61 Giancarlo Stanton: 44 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 40