Junior Caminero’s Success at the Plate Comes Thanks to One Key Metric
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For the second straight year, Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero has proven that he’s one of the game’s most talented hitters. He’s played two full seasons in the Big Leagues and has hit 40+ home runs in each of those seasons.
At just 23 years old, Caminero continues to show the league day in and day out that he’s one of the most exciting young phenoms in the league. Not only is he making a case for himself as an American League MVP candidate, but he’s having all this success on one of the best teams in the league. The Rays have the best record in the AL and have 93 wins.
A key reason for the immense success he’s had, particularly this past season, is his elite bat speed. Pair that with all of the other attributes he brings to the table, including his plate discipline, strength, quick hands, natural ability and his ability to adjust quickly, and Caminero’s future is as bright as anyone’s in the league.
Caminero’s average bat speed this season is 79.6 mph, the top mark among all 202 qualified hitters in the entire league, according to Statcast. For context as to how good this really is, the average bat speed for players in the league is about 72 mph.
Swing speed is key to Junior Caminero's success
“It’s his bat speed,” Tampa Bay’s manager Kevin Cash said. “I don’t know if anybody swings harder, quicker, whatever you want to do, in baseball.”
Cash added: “So it allows him to muscle through pitches. … He’s not squaring every single ball up. It’s just that he’s so quick getting the barrel through the zone. And it’s level enough to where he can cover a lot of different pitches at different angles. It’s not in and out of the zone."
When it comes to specific studies of his swing, Caminero’s flat, level swing is also a primary factor in his success. His swing has a vertical tilt of 25 degrees, according to Statcast. There are only four players in the league who have flatter swings than Caminero, as his swing ranks fifth in all of baseball in terms of angle and levelness.
Caminero spoke about how elite his numbers are and how he’s been able to achieve such incredible marks with stats including bat speed, bat angle and swing length, which is the longest in the league at 8.7 feet.
JUNIOR CAMINERO DOES IT AGAIN
— MLB (@MLB) September 16, 2026
RAYS WIN ON A WALK-OFF HOMER! pic.twitter.com/CYqMxffBmG
“God-given ability,” Caminero said. “God blessed me. I mean, thank God for this. We used to pray for this.”
He added: “It’s cool, because when somebody tells you that you have the fastest swing in the league, I say, ‘Wow!’ “When you see Aaron Judge, when you see Giancarlo Stanton, when you see Vladimir Guerrero (Jr.), you see Oneil Cruz, it’s the best, to be honest, to be within this group.”
Caminero’s teammate Drew Rasmussen spoke about the rare ability and talent that Caminero possesses.
“It’s unbelievable what he can do,” Rasmussen said. “It’s unbelievable how young he is, the maturity level that he possesses and his understanding and just how he’s grown into being a really, really good Major League Baseball player at the age of 23.”
JUNIOR CAMINERO WALKS IT OFF@RAYSBASEBALL HEADS TO THE POSTSEASON! pic.twitter.com/tkDpYi0OEe
— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2026
Rasmussen revealed how he’d plan to pitch to Caminero if he were to face him.
“If we had to face him, I think I’d throw him four sliders in the left-handed batter’s box and hope he swings,” Rasmussen said. “And if he takes, he gets to go to first base. I mean, it’s better than giving up a homer.”
“It’s incredible,” Rasmussen added. “It’s just one of those things that every swing, regardless of pitch location, has the opportunity to (do) damage.”
Caminero’s stellar bat speed, as well as his swing level, are the core reasons for his abundance of success over the past two years for the Rays. He will look to continue that success in the regular season’s final weeks and into the postseason, as Tampa Bay makes its first postseason appearance since 2023.
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