Caminero's Patience Pays Off

0:00On April 4th, Teva Bay raised third baseman Junior Caminero lit up the league last year with 45 home runs and 110 RBI's, snagging in, all star spot in some AL MVP votes, but his raw power came with a downside swinging at too many bad pitches. Now early in the 2026 season, he's flashing signs of a smarter, more patient hitter. Heading into last year, he aimed for 30 homers and crushed that goal. This time around, he's keeping it simple, just stay healthy and grind every day. That mindset shift seems to be paying off already through six games. Ray's manager Kevin Cash couldn't hide his excitement after opening day, calling Caminero's at bats tremendous and saying he's proud of the progress. Fans and analysts are buzzing too, with ESPN's buster only highlighting how disciplined he's become. Coming into the stats, his chase ray dropped to 23%, ranking 43rd among 202 MLB hitters. He's drawing walks at a 22.2% clip, with a 407 on base percentage, including a career

1:04high four walks in that opener. Despite pitchers avoiding the zone. If Caminero keeps laying off those chase pitches, he's seen the second fewest strikes at 36.8%, it'll force better looks and boost the whole raise lineup. This could turn him into the complete star Tampa needs, baseball news, powered by AI. This is MLB News Today.