The New York Yankees are lighting up scoreboards, but one of their most dangerous bats is still flying under the radar.
That bat belongs to 26-year-old Ben Rice, the lefty slugger quietly turning heads beneath the surface of traditional stats.
While his numbers don’t leap off the page, Rice has been barreling baseballs like a veteran on a mission.
It’s the kind of quiet production that often goes unnoticed—until the dam breaks and the numbers start catching up.
What the raw numbers won’t tell you
Through his first stretch this season, Ben Rice is slashing .235/.322/.480 with 12 home runs and a .802 OPS.
Decent, sure—but nowhere close to reflecting just how dominant he’s actually been at making contact with power.
According to Statcast, his expected batting average is .295 and his expected slugging sits at a jaw-dropping .571.
Those numbers suggest one thing: Rice is absolutely smashing the ball, but the baseball gods haven’t rewarded him yet.
Elite underlying metrics are fueling optimism
Rice ranks in the 98th percentile in both average exit velocity and hard-hit rate—elite company among MLB’s best sluggers.
He also boasts a 95th percentile barrel rate, meaning he’s squaring up the ball with consistency few hitters can match.
Add in a chase rate of just 23.4%, ranking in the 77th percentile, and you’ve got a hitter with remarkable discipline.
It’s a rare combination of patience and power that makes Rice more dangerous than his current stat line indicates.
Why a breakout may be just around the corner
Every sign points to Ben Rice being on the verge of a breakout—this is just the calm before the thunderstorm.
If baseball had a version of stock trading, Rice’s value would be skyrocketing based on advanced analytics alone.
His bad luck is unsustainable, and once a few line drives start falling, the numbers should explode in short order.
He’s not swinging wildly or guessing—he’s making good decisions, driving the ball, and doing everything a team could want.
A long-term role could be his for the taking
With Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year deal deal, Rice may already be the Yankees’ future at first base.
He’s shown he can fill in as a designated hitter, and even backup behind the plate when needed, adding versatility.
His lefty bat provides balance in a righty-heavy lineup, and Yankee Stadium’s short porch has been kind to his approach.
The Yankees aren’t just building for now—they may be quietly grooming their next everyday slugger for the seasons ahead.
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