My Two Cents: Doling Out Midseason Awards For Rays

BALTIMORE, Md. — We're halfway home through the Tampa Bay Rays' 2025 season, and I'll say the same thing today that I do at this time every year.

That went way too fast!

It's three months into the season and the Rays have completed 81 or 162 games. That's 81 down, and 81 to go. The Rays, the hottest team in baseball since May 20, are 46-35 and are just a half-game behind the New York Yankees in the American League East race.

They've made up six games in two weeks on the Yankees, and also have a nice five-game cushion in the AL wild-card race. It's a good spot to be in at halftime.

It's also a good time to dole out our midseason awards before the second half begins on Friday night in Baltimore, where the Rays are set to start a three-game weekend series with the Orioles.

Here are my awards. Please feel free to weigh in yourself in our social media channels.

Most Valuable Player Award

Junior Caminero

This was really hard, and I mean really, really hard. I guess it's a good problem to have for the Rays that it's tough to decide between third baseman Junior Caminero and first baseman Jonathan Aranda for the first-half MVP. They've both been that good.

Caminero leads the Rays in home runs (20) and RBIs (51), and Aranda leads in batting average (.329) and on-base percentage (.412). The cornerstones have been, well, cornerstones to the Rays offense that's been on fire for six weeks now. They're averaging more than six runs a game and Caminero and Aranda have been a big part of it.

I'm giving the edge to Caminero, ever so slightly. The 21-year-old is making history with his start. Only seven players under age 22 have gone 20/50 in a season through 76 games.

Best Infielder Award

Jonathan Aranda

Yeah, a little cop-out, I know, but the 27-year-old has really come into his own this year and he deserves some hardware.

Before this year, he's played a small part of three seasons, playing between 32 and 44 games and never hitting better than .234. Now he hitting .329 and has an .898 OPS, which ranks No. 10 in all of baseball. He's got to make the All-Star team.

Best Starting Pitcher Award

Drew Rasmussen

The Rays are the only team in baseball to have five starting pitchers start 16 games or more. Every game, they show up. All five starters have had their moments, but Drew Rasmussen gets my award for top starting pitcher

Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.45 earned run average. He's given up two runs or less in 11 of his 16 starts, and he's had seven games where he hasn't given up anything at all. The Rays are being careful with his innings, since he's coming off 2023 elbow surgery, but he's been a pure pleasure to watch.

Best Relief Pitcher Award

Pete Fairbanks

I suppose your closer should always win this award, but the Rays have the best bullpen in the game. There's plenty of competition for this award.

Pete Fairbanks gets it though, because he's been clutch. He's got 15 saves in 17 chances, and has allowed given up a run in only four of his 32 appearances. That's impressive. He's 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA and has 28 strikeouts in 31 innings.

Let's give some props to Manuel Rodriguez, too. He's been a pleasant surprise this year, posting a 2.08 ERA and pitching in some real critical situations, which is something new for him. He's turned into someone the Rays can rely on. If I had manufactured a ''best set-up man award,'' he would have gotten it.

Best Defensive Player Award

Taylor Walls

This one is easy. Shortstop Taylor Walls is not only the Rays' best defensive player, but he also might be the best defensive guy in the league. The numbers certainly bare it out. He's got 17 defensive runs saved this year, best in baseball and three ahead of Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez.

Walls has never hit much, but Kevin Cash still trots him out there often anyway because he believes saving a run is just as valuable as driving in a run. He's been hitting better, too. His average has gone from .151 on May 4 to .217 now. In those seven weeks, he's hitting .261 and he's had 15 RBIs since June 5.

Most Versatile Award

Jose Caballero

Jose Caballero has played five different positions so far, and he's played them all well. It gives Cash the luxury of juggling lineups as needed, and he delivered in every aspect of the game. He's hitting .230 with two homers and 23 RBIs and he has 29 stolen bases, the most in baseball.

Best Free-Agent Award

Danny Jansen

The Rays pitching stuff loves working with Danny Jansen, and it's been a real bonus that he's been showing some pop at the plate lately. He's got eight homers on the season, and four since June 7.

Tampa Bay got practically no production from their catchers a year ago, so signing Jansen was a big deal. The 30-year-old from Elmhurst, Ill., is in his eighth season and his one-year, $8.5 million deal has been well worth it.

Steady Veterans Award

Brandon Lowe & Yandy Diaz

I had to find a way to mention these two veterans because they've played a huge role in this hot streak since May 20, where the Rays have got 25-9. Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz have both gotten hot after slow starts, and are causing all sorts of damage in the top two spots in the order.

Diaz is hitting .286 with 12 homers and 44, and just had a 15-game hitting streak end. He's raised his batting average 53 points in a month, and is hitting .405 in June.

Lowe had a slow start, too, hitting just .190 as late as May 13. But since then, he's hitting 51-for-151, a .338 average. He's got a 13-game hitting streak going right now, and he also had a 13-game streak in late May. He hasn't always been the steadiest of players, but he sure seems locked in now. He's got 16 homers on the season, with 43 RBIs.