Caminero goes yard twice AGAIN for Durham
It's getting pretty tough to keep Junior Caminero in the yard. Baseball's No. 4 prospect smashed two more home runs en route to Triple-A Durham's 6-2 win over Gwinnett in Game 2 of Wednesday’s doubleheader. It was the second time Caminero went deep twice in a game this season, and
It's getting pretty tough to keep
Baseball's No. 4 prospect smashed two more home runs en route to Triple-A Durham's 6-2 win over Gwinnett in Game 2 of Wednesday’s doubleheader. It was the second time Caminero went deep twice in a game this season, and in fact, the second time in a three-game span.
In the first inning with a runner on, the Rays' top prospect pummeled a changeup on the inside part of the plate by lefty Ray Kerr (Braves). The ball left the barrel with a Statcast-projected exit velocity of 110.2 mph, Caminero's second hardest-hit home run of the season. It traveled 383 feet to left field, bouncing off the brick wall at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
In the sixth, the 20-year-old showed off his opposite-field strength on an offering high and away by right-hander Jackson Stephens. Caminero sent that two-run homer into the right-field bullpen at a 103.3 mph exit velocity.
Even when the ball doesn't leave the yard, the Dominican infielder still crushes the ball. In Game 1, Caminero crushed a double to left field with an exit velocity of 114.5 mph, the hardest-hit ball in the doubleheader.
Caminero's other dingers this season registered exit velocities of 110.5, 106.2 and 109.7 mph. And he has shown he can carry that pop into the Majors. His first MLB dinger, which came on the last day of the 2023 regular season, was smoked at 107.2 mph.
Caminero's power isn’t exactly a secret, as evidenced by his 31 roundtrippers between High-A and Double-A last season. And this year's display has come despite the fact that he started the season on the injured list after being sidelined for two weeks by a hamstring injury.
The right-handed hitter has compiled a slash line of .333/.390/.759 with a 1.149 OPS and has recorded a hit in 12 of the 14 games he's played in this season.
Jesús Cano is a contributor for MiLB.com.