Junior Caminero Says the Rays’ Clubhouse Is Different This Year. The Record Backs Him Up.

The Tampa Bay Rays are sitting at 56-38, a game and a half up on the Yankees in the AL East, and they just sent a guy to the All-Star Game who hit 28 homers before the break. That guy, Junior Caminero, is also the one telling anyone who will listen that the real reason for the turnaround has nothing to do with swing mechanics or analytics.

It’s the vibe.

Caminero went on “Foul Territory” ahead of the All-Star break and got asked straight up what’s different about this Rays team compared to last year. His answer was quick and it didn’t involve any sabermetrics.

“This season is amazing because everybody is together in the clubhouse,” Caminero said. “Me and Martinez being leaders, Rassmusen, McClanahan, it’s an unbelievable group. Now in the second half, just continue like that and let’s see what we got, and at the end of the year, to the playoffs.”

And he doubled down when pressed again. “I think for me it’s different, like everybody is more together.”

That might sound like a simple answer, but the guy is hitting .279 with 28 dingers and 59 RBIs in 94 games. He’s not just talking. He’s producing. And he’s naming specific teammates — pitchers Nick Martinez, Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan — as the guys holding that clubhouse together. Martinez and Caminero see themselves as the leaders of that group.

So far, it’s working.

Tampa Bay heads into the second half with a real shot at the division, and they’re not even fully healthy yet. They’ve been mentioned in trade deadline rumors, mostly as a team that might add rather than subtract. The Rays front office has a history of making weird, aggressive moves that nobody sees coming, and with the roster playing this well together, they might not want to mess with the chemistry Caminero keeps talking about.

He got the All-Star nod for the second straight year and participated in the Home Run Derby. That’s the individual stuff. But the way he talks, the individual stuff isn’t what matters most to him right now.

The Rays kick off the second half Friday against the Boston Red Sox. If Caminero is right about the clubhouse, that series could be a preview of something bigger down the road.