Caminero's power putting him 'in rarefied air'
James Schiano lauds Tampa Bay Rays' star Junior Caminero's performance as he achieves the record for youngest player to homer in six straight games. Schiano also says it might be the "beginning of a Hall of Fame career."
Video Transcript
It's difficult to find a young star in the game right now that's more impressive than Junior Caminero.
Heading into play on Thursday, he's homered in six straight games.
Six straight.
He's now officially the youngest player to accomplish that feat in the modern era, so since 1900, beating Ken Griffey Jr., who did so at 23 years old back in 1993.
Caminero's 23rd birthday is actually this coming Sunday, and his power production at such a young age is already putting him in rarefy there.
The most home runs ever for a player in their age 21 and 22 seasons was Eddie Matthews, who put up 87 dingers between 1953 and 1954.
Right now, Caminero has 69 with three months left to go in his age 22 season, which nearly matches the 71 that both Giancarlo Stanton and Albert Pujols had in their age 21 and 22 seasons combined.
It's pretty unbelievable to think that we might be watching the beginning of a Hall of Fame career, but that's the trajectory Caminero has already put himself on.
Another big reason for the hopefulness in Caminero's very, very lofty future is the massive improvements he's already made so young as a baseball player.
Last season, Caminero figured out how to access his pull side power, and boom, instantly, he vaulted himself into being one of the most productive power hitters in the game.
But his swing decisions were still a bit erratic at that time, and his on-base percentage lagged relative to his production because of them.
So far this season, he's more than doubled his walk rate while also cutting his strikeout rate, mostly by swinging, just simply swinging significantly less often.
That's helped him also chase fewer pitches out of the strike zone.
He's also swinging at fewer pitches in the strike zone.
But pitchers are so afraid to throw him strikes because of his absolutely mammoth power and the state of most of the Rays lineup around him that he's simply waiting back, getting into more hitters' counts, attacking really hittable pitches, but just simply taking his walks when those pitches don't come.
That's helped produce a 383 on-base percentage so far, which is top 10 in the American League, and a 944 OPS that only trails Yordan Alvarez.
Any way you slice it, we are watching the beginning of a very, very special career.
