Caminero finishes as runner-up in AL MVP Award voting

Junior Caminero ended the American League MVP Award voting in second place, finishing behind Houston’s Yordan Alvarez in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America balloting revealed Thursday night on MLB Network.

Alvarez was the unanimous choice, receiving all 30 first-place votes for the 14th unanimous AL MVP and 420 total points. Caminero collected 27 of 30 second-place votes and three third-place votes, totaling 267 points, while Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. placed third with 188 points.

For the Rays, the runner-up result was the highest AL MVP finish in franchise history, surpassing previous top-10 showings by Evan Longoria (sixth, in 2010 and 2013) and Yandy Díaz (sixth, in 2023).

The voting outcome reflected both candidacy factors discussed around the Rays’ season: Caminero started at third base in all 162 regular-season games, and Tampa Bay’s overall run to a 98-win season that included a World Series appearance. In comparison, the release notes Alvarez was used mostly as a designated hitter for Houston.

On the production side, Alvarez led the Majors in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.432), and slugging percentage (.601), and the release also cites his AL-leading total bases (341) alongside a 42-homer, 106-RBI line and an OPS+ of 190. Caminero’s AL profile in the release was a.276/.360/.524 slash with 42 homers and 101 RBIs, a 144 OPS+, and a team-high 5.8 wins above replacement (per Baseball Reference).