ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero is one of the youngest superstars in Major League Baseball.
On Monday, the 21-year-old pitched a wiffle ball home run derby to some of his youngest fans at his very first youth baseball camp.
WATCH: Rays' star Junior Caminero hosts youth baseball camp
“It’s tremendous to be here with the kids,” Caminero said through a translator. "Even though it’s an off day, it’s a great day to be with the kids. There’s not really an off day for me.”
Caminero is wasting no time in making a name for himself in his first full season in the big leagues. He leads Tampa Bay with 13 home runs and 37 runs batted in.
But there is another state of significance.
“That he has the fastest bat speed in the MLB,” Brayden Adams, 6, said.
Caminero’s average bat speed is 78.9 miles per hour, but that is not all these campers think about.
“I think about him because he hits a lot of home runs and he’s so good, and he can catch really good,” Wyatt Good, 6, added.
“His swing and how he carries his team,” Cameron McKenzie, 12, said. “Like the game against the Astros, how he hit the home run to put the team ahead in the best position to win.”
About a hundred came out to Baseball City to have fun and learn a little more about the game of baseball.
“I’m a fan of the Rays and I was trying to get better with my baseball skills and advance to the next level,” McKenzie added.
“Back in D.R. I had a bunch of these opportunities,” Caminero said. “I just want to teach the kids a little bit about what I know and make sure we have a great day.”
