Junior Caminero's growing MVP buzz ignores a clear Yankees reality

The never-ending MVP debate will always center on what actually constitutes "value." The New York Yankees were front and center of this argument in 2025 as Cal Raleigh stans came out of the woodwork to try and use positional value, defense, and a slight difference in home run total to make the flimsy case that the Mariners' catcher was more valuable than Aaron Judge, who had just authored a season that only he and Babe Ruth could produce.

With Judge on the IL for a huge chunk of the season, the conversation has changed, but the issue at hand remains the same. What is valuable, really?

For much of the year, Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Álvarez has been considered the front-runner, which is annoying. Why is it that catcher versus right fielder was such a debate last year, but a guy who literally doesn't play defense has gotten significantly more buzz than Bobby Witt Jr., who has been spectacular at the plate, in the field, and on the basepaths?

A new name is coming to the forefront down the stretch to change that conversation. Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero has blasted two walk-off homers over a four-game stretch, and for that reason, some are now positioning him as a legitimate MVP candidate.

No doubt, two walk-offs over four games is impressive, but should that really be the tipping point? The argument isn't just the late-inning heroics, but that those clutch performances came in September, in the heat of the chase for the AL East crown. Here's the question: since when did wins in September start counting more than wins in April?

Junior Caminero MVP narrative ignores that Yankees stars Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice carried the team without Aaron Judge

Not only are we talking about the timing of wins as having something to do with how valuable a player is, but we're also only talking about two of them. No doubt, Caminero is a fantastic player and, at just 23 years old, has a bright future ahead of him.

However, two walk-off homers aren't a reason to give someone the MVP. If we're using key victories as a metric, though, how about we give some more consideration to a couple of Yankees stars?

New York has had Judge in the lineup for just 65 of a possible 152 games this season, yet the club is just six wins shy of last season's total with 10 games left to play. While there were certainly times when scoring runs was a slog, to be essentially on pace for a similar record despite missing the most impactful hitter in the game says something.

It says certain players stepped up to fill the void and carry the team to success, and two players stand out in that regard.

First in Cam Schlittler, whose MVP case has been overlooked in large part due to the fact that he's a pitcher. With that said, Schlittler's dominance has been historic in several different ways.

If you go by WAR, a stat created with the sole purpose of demonstrating the value a player added to his team over what is freely available on the market, Schlittler dominates Caminero. Depending on the flavor you prefer, Schlittler bests Caminero 5.9 to 5.0 in fWAR and 7.1 to 5.6 in bWAR.

Schlittler isn't the only Yankee worthy of consideration, though, if we're using Caminero as a measuring stick. At the end of August, MLB.com polled its experts and came up with a top five that includes both Caminero and Rice. The offensive numbers aren't that far off, either.

Caminero has the edge, but if he slumps from here on out and Rice gets hot, everything is close enough that it could be flipped by season's end. The next part of the debate between these two players might come down to defense. Rice isn't a great defensive first baseman and has spent the majority of his season at DH. Caminero has played 150 games at the hot corner, but he's not particularly good there.

This season, the Rays star has posted -12 outs above average, four defensive runs saved, and a fielding run value of -8. The DRS total is solid, but the other two metrics are well below average. Does he really deserve credit for playing the field if he does it poorly?

Going back to the crux of the value proposition as it relates to Caminero's walk-offs, if there's one player who has kept the Yankees offense alive without Judge, it has been Rice. He's had his slumps, sure, but if we're arguing the value of the wins each player has contributed to, it makes more sense to weigh the three months Rice became the focal point of New York's offense much more heavily than a couple of September wins.

Lastly, an annoying part of the discourse for Yankees fans is that suddenly, defense doesn't seem to matter. We spent months hearing about the importance of it last season, only for a DH and a bad third baseman to be atop the MVP conversation.

This race is muddled, and not nearly as clear-cut as last year. As a result, Schlittler and, to a lesser extent, Rice, should be garnering more consideration. Caminero isn't necessarily a bad pick, either, but his recent walk-offs shouldn't be a deciding factor.

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