This year’s third base Silver Slugger race could break Guardians’ fans hearts

On Thursday we found out that José Ramírez was nominated for the American League Silver Slugger at third base. Ramírez’s nomination is a huge deal, as it not only honors for him another strong season, but also gives him a chance to tie (or break) Wade Boggs’ record for eight Silver Slugger nominations at third base. 

But it also sets up a situation where Ramírez loses the award in a way that would sting even more thanks to the presence of fellow finalist Junior Caminero. 

A one-time Guardians prospect, Cleveland traded Caminero to the Rays after the 2021 season in exchange for starting pitcher Tobias Meyers. It’s one of the worst trades in team history. 

Meyers never ended up playing for the Guardians (they DFA’d him halfway through the 2022 season), while Caminero blossomed into the top prospect in baseball before becoming an All-Star this season. 

Boston’s Alex Bregman is almost a finalist, but he’ll likely finish in third since he only played in 114 games last season. 

Junior Camiero has a chance to break Guardians fans hearts all over again 

While Caminero’s Rays didn’t make it into the postseason, he put together a strong season in South Florida, as he slashed .264/.311/.535 with 41 home runs and 115 RBI. He may not get on base at the same clip as Ramírez, but he has some of the best power in baseball. 

At the time of the trade, the Guardians needed rotation depth and felt comfortable with the future of their middle infield thanks to then-prospects Owen Miller, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman and Brayan Rocchio. 

Camerino’s ended up being better than all of them (at least so far). 

But he’s not without his warts. He struck out 125 times in 154 games, hit into the most double plays in baseball (31) and was worth -3 Outs Above Average. 

Meanwhile, Ramírez hit .283 with 30 home runs and 85 RBI while also stealing 44 bases and hitting 34 doubles. He did better than Caminero in on-base percentage (.360 to .311) and OPS+ (137 to 131).

Ramírez has the better overall profile, but Caminero has the edge when it comes to power and run production. 

Caminero’s not the only former Guardian turned who could net a Silver Slugger win, either. 

After a down year in 2024, Yandy Díaz is a Silver Slugger nominee at first base after hitting .300 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI during the regular season. 

But Díaz’s potential win would have nothing on Caminero’s potential win since it would come at the expense of Ramírez. The third base Silver Slugger Award has largely been a José Ramírez legacy award in the 2020s, but Camerino has a chance to change that.