United States. – The young Dominican player
Junior Caminero is just one home run away from entering an exclusive group in the history of Major League Baseball: Dominicans who have hit
40 or more home runs in a season.
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With 39 home runs in the current campaign, the third baseman of the
Tampa Bay Rays could become the
19th Dominican to reach this mark, a feat achieved 50 times by Dominican players since 1987.
The pioneer was
George Bell, who in 1987 hit 47 home runs with the Toronto Blue Jays, the year in which he also won the
Most Valuable Player (MVP) award of the American League, being the first Dominican to achieve this award.
Among the most prominent names are
Alex Rodríguez, absolute leader with eight seasons of 40+ home runs;
Sammy Sosa and
Albert Pujols, with seven each; and
Manny Ramírez, with five. They are followed by
Nelson Cruz (4),
David Ortiz (3),
José Bautista (3),
Edwin Encarnación (2) and
Vladimir Guerrero (2). Others who have reached the figure on one occasion are George Bell, Adrián Beltré, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Peña, Tony Batista, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Marcell Ozuna and Juan Soto.
Dominicans with 40+ HR Seasons
- Alex Rodríguez: 8
- Sammy Sosa: 7
- Albert Pujols: 7
- Manny Ramírez: 5
- Nelson Cruz: 4
- David Ortiz: 3
- José Bautista: 3
- Edwin Encarnación: 2
- Vladimir Guerrero: 2
- Others (1 time each): George Bell, Adrián Beltré, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Peña, Tony Batista, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Marcell Ozuna and Juan Soto.
Some outstanding records
- Sammy Sosa: 66 HR (1998), 64 HR (2001), and 63 HR (1999).
- Alex Rodríguez: 57 HR (2002) and 54 HR (2007).
- David Ortiz: 54 HR (2006).
- José Bautista: 54 HR (2010).
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 48 HR (2021).
- Juan Soto: 41 HR (2024).
- Marcell Ozuna: 40 HR (2023).
