Rays' Budding Star Could Result in Franchise Being Surprise Contender
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The Tampa Bay Rays are getting set for pitchers and catchers to report soon, and the team will be optimistic about the young core they are developing. Fortunately, that core is led by a budding superstar.
It has been a busy offseason for the Rays this winter, with the team seeking to snap a two-year playoff drought. Tampa Bay has always done a nice job of being competitive despite a low payroll, and a major reason why is their ability to develop young talent.
This offseason, while the team made some signings to help them win in 2026, some of the more significant decisions were geared toward the future. This is a farm system that now has three players in the Top 100, and the overall depth of the system is strong.
In 2025, Tampa Bay got to see the emergence of one of its young stars, and he took the league by storm. Now, he has emerged as one of the best players in baseball.
Brian Murphy of MLB recently wrote about some of the top risers in the MLB Top 100 players from last year. For the Rays, their young star Junior Caminero went from being unranked in 2025 to 39th following a breakout season.
Caminero a Budding Star
After getting his feet wet in the majors in 2024, Caminero had his breakout campaign in 2025 and emerged as one of the best sluggers in baseball. At just 21 years old, he was named to the All-Star team and came in the Top 10 of MVP voting in the league.
The talented young slugger slashed .264/.311/.535 with 45 home runs and 110 RBI. Those types of numbers at that age are very rare to see, and he was one of the best power hitters in the game. Due to his age, there is reason to believe that he will be even better in 2026, and that could make him a serious contender to be an MVP in the coming years.
As Tampa Bay likely aims to be a contender again in the coming years with their strong farm system, Caminero is going to be leading the next wave for the franchise. While competing in 2026 is going to be a challenge with how loaded the American League East is, having a true star like Caminero can sometimes be enough. If the Rays can get some supporting help for him, they could surprise some people and make some noise.
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Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20. He can also be reached at via email at NickZiegler26@gmail.com