Junior Caminero Headlines Trio of Rays Rightfully Named AL Silver Slugger Finalists
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Despite finishing with only 77 victories during the 2025 MLB regular season, there were a lot of positives for the Tampa Bay Rays. A lot of their biggest takeaways were from their lineup, where a nice core is being built.
The Rays were right around the middle of the pack in most offensive categories. Where they excelled was on the basepaths, leading the MLB with 194 stolen bases, with Chandler Simpson leading the way with 44. But there is some real talent to work with, providing some optimism heading into the future.
President of baseball operations Erik Neander has not shied away from discussing what the team is on the lookout for this winter. Catching help is needed, and they will evaluate things at shortstop and in the outfield.
Where they won’t be needing much else is at third base, second base and first base. At those spots, Tampa Bay has finalists for the American League Silver Slugger Awards.
Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe named AL Silver Slugger finalists
Junior Caminero was named one of three finalists at the hot corner, along with Alex Bregman of the Boston Red Sox and Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians.
He has a great chance of winning the award in his first full season as a Big Leaguer. He joined an exclusive club, hitting 45 home runs with 110 RBI. Only 22 years old, he has the look of an annual finalist for this award and other accolades as an elite run producer.
Yandy Diaz didn’t get nominated for the Silver Slugger Award at first base, where Jonathan Aranda broke out. Those two make a great tandem at the corner infield spot and as the designated hitter.
The latter is where Diaz received his nomination. He is a finalist along with Brent Rooker of the Athletics and George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays. This is a regular-season award, but the heroics Springer has shown in the postseason could give him an edge.
Diaz is certainly deserving of the nomination. He had arguably the best season of his career with a .300/.366/.482 slash line with 25 home runs, 29 doubles and 83 RBI. It was an incredible bounce-back after a slow start to the campaign.
Three Rays players have strong cases to win Silver Slugger Award
Last but not least, at the keystone is Brandon Lowe. He will be joined by Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees and Jorge Polanco of the Seattle Mariners as finalists at second base.
Able to stay relatively healthy for the first time in years, Lowe put together his most productive campaign since 2021, when he finished 10th in the AL MVP voting.
He hit 31 home runs, tied with Chisholm for the most at the position, to go along with 19 doubles and 83 RBI. A legitimate source of power and run production, he is going to be a popular name on the trade market this winter.
As will Diaz. It will be interesting to see how the front office handles that. Not far from making a run back to the postseason, if the Rays can make it work financially, they should retain as many of their established hitters as possible under new ownership.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.