Junior Caminero is 22 years old. He already has 76 career home runs. And one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time thinks he’s the future of baseball.
Albert Pujols told ESPN’s Buster Olney earlier this year that when Aaron Judge eventually steps back, Junior Caminero will take his place as the sport’s dominant power hitter. Olney shared that conversation on the “Just Baseball” podcast this week.
“I had Albert Pujols on my podcast earlier this year. He said that when Aaron Judge moves on, Junior Caminero is going to be the next Aaron Judge in this sport,” Olney said. “The fact that he’s now taking his walks, wow, that is scary. You say Hall of Fame career, I’m going to go one up on you. I’m gonna say we might be looking at an all-time great power hitter. He may hit his 100th homer in the second half of this year, which is crazy!”
Olney didn’t stop there. He suggested Caminero isn’t just on a Hall of Fame track. He’s on a fast track to being remembered as one of the best power hitters ever to swing a bat. That’s not idle hype. The numbers back it up.
Through 319 at-bats this season, Caminero is hitting .288 with a .378 on-base percentage. He’s knocked 24 home runs and driven in 54 runs. He needs 24 more homers to hit 100 for his career. And the second half hasn’t even started yet.
The Tampa Bay Rays third baseman is from the Dominican Republic. He broke into the league at 19 and hasn’t slowed down since. Last season he looked like a superstar in the making. This season he’s confirming it.
Caminero’s plate discipline has taken a real step forward. He’s walking more, chasing less, and waiting for his pitch. When he gets it, the ball leaves the yard. That combination — raw power plus patience — is what separates good hitters from all-timers.
He’ll get another chance to add to his total on Friday when the Rays open a three-game series against the Houston Astros. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Pujols knows what it looks like when a hitter is on that kind of path. He’s been there himself. If he’s right about Caminero, the American League East just got even scarier.
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