The battle for American League MVP is a two-horse race between two stars that are swatting home runs left and right. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has now hit 50 dingers this season, and while he's slowed a bit of late, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge can never be counted out after having won two of the last four AL MVP Awards. But next season, we may see somebody new enter the chat.
In fact, he might already be a dark-horse candidate this year. Third baseman Junior Caminero has had a very strong season with the Tampa Bay Rays, adding two more homers to his tally in a win on Monday night. And if he does not win MVP honors this season, he could very well be in the mix next year — and potentially even establish himself as the favorite.
It certainly appears as though the Rays have a future superstar on their hands.
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Junior Caminero may shake up MVP race in 2025 and beyond
It has certainly been a fantastic season for Caminero. He was an All-Star for the first time this year after breaking out early. He is hitting .261/.303/.544 with 39 home runs, 94 RBI, a 3.7 WAR and an .847 OPS. He also has a 129 OPS+.
Unfortunately, he is likely being crowded out of this year's AL MVP race thanks to Raleigh and Judge's heroics at the plate, and it is going to come down to those two to determine who the MVP will be in 2025. However, 2026 presents a new opportunity for Caminero if he can keep up at this pace. If not for Judge and Raleigh, he certainly would be a strong candidate to take home the award.
He'll be an interesting player to watch over the final month of the season. Perhaps if Judge or Raleigh start to slump a little, he can force his way back into the mix and at least be a dark-horse candidate to win the award. But his numbers certainly warrant consideration for him to take home the award this year. It just likely won't be enough to dethrone Raleigh and Judge, especially with Raleigh's home run pace.
Still, he has had a very impressive season, and the Rays appear to have developed yet another young star, as they tend to do. Caminero was one of the best hitting prospects in baseball before making his debut at just 19 back in 2023 (he only turned 22 back in early July). That youth is still apparent at times, especially in his overly aggressive approach at the plate. But the raw talent is jaw-dropping: His bat speed is at the literal top of the scale, per Baseball Savant, and hardly anyone hits the ball harder. If he makes another tweak or two as he adjusts to MLB pitching, there's a 50-homer season in here somewhere.
It will be interesting to see how he finishes the season, but being at 39 home runs before the end of August is an accomplishment in and of itself. In any other year, he might be the leading candidate to be named the AL MVP.