On Tuesday, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was honored with the Juan Marichal Award, an accolade given annually to the best Dominican player in Major League Baseball.
RELATED:
Former Baseball Player Bernie Williams to Join Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway
Juan Marichal announced the award himself at the Ministry of Sports, where he highlighted the outstanding season completed by the 23-year-old. Marichal praised Caminero’s performance and asserted that he is destined to become “one of the great figures” of Dominican baseball.
The award comes at a time of great prominence for the third baseman, who played a decisive role in the Tampa Bay Rays’ qualification for the World Series.
The day before receiving the award, Caminero hit a home run and drove in two runs in his team’s 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, a result that secured their place in the Fall Classic.
During the regular season, the Dominican slugger achieved 42 home runs and 101 RBIs, which placed him among the American League’s offensive leaders. In addition to his power at the plate, Caminero finished the season with a .276 batting average, 170 hits, 100 runs scored, and 25 doubles.
In the Juan Marichal Award voting, he received overwhelming support, garnering 82 of the 100 first-place votes for a total of 558 points.
The Tampa Bay Rays player beat out pitcher Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies and shortstop Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds, who finished second and third, respectively.
teleSUR: JP
Source: EFE
