ST. PETERSBURG – As he waited in the on-deck circle before an at-bat last Saturday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, with more than 40,000 vociferous Rays and Yankees fans in attendance at Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay…
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash credited the World Baseball Classic for preparing young infielders Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda for the pressure of the MLB postseason. Both players performed well during the Rays' American League Division Series sweep of the New York Yankees after previously excelling on the international stage in March.
Caminero batted .350 with three home runs for the Dominican Republic, while Aranda posted a .357 average for Team Mexico during the tournament. Aranda hit a decisive 417-foot home run off Gerrit Cole in Game 1 of the ALDS, and Cash highlighted how the intense WBC environments prepared both players for October baseball.
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