At the conclusion of Friday’s slate of games, the New York Yankees stand atop the MLB standings with a record of 6-1. Their elite pitching staff deserves most of the credit, having given up a mere eight runs through their first seven games. However, there is one hitter whose scorching start is being overshadowed by the dominance of New York’s pitching.
That hitter is Ben Rice, of course. The catcher-turned-first-baseman is picking up right where he left off last season, slashing .409/.500/.864 with nine hits, including two homers and four doubles, and eight RBI. Anyone who watched Rice on the Yankees last season should have seen this coming, despite the fact that he “only” had an .836 OPS, 26 home runs, and 65 RBI.
Scorching Start by Ben Rice Helping to Spur MLB-Best Yankees
Hidden in the Stats
According to Baseball Savant, Rice was one of the unluckiest hitters in the entire league in 2025. This is because he registered one of the highest xwOBA (expected weighted on-base average) in all of MLB, with a mark of .394. His expected batting average, .283, was also significantly lower than his actual average (.255). His average exit velo, barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and chase rate were also in the top 10% of all qualified hitters last season.
It was only a matter of time before all of those hard-hit balls turned into hits rather than tough outs. As for whether or not last season was a fluke, Rice’s batted-ball data from the first few games of 2026 shows that last season was not a blip, but rather a glimpse of what is to come for one of New York’s best hitters.
Ben Bomb in the BX 💣 pic.twitter.com/QgFyYUwkNA
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 3, 2026
Swiss Army Knife
Rice hasn’t only improved in the realm of hitting, but on defense as well. With Austin Wells already locked in as the Yankees’ first-string catcher, Rice made the transition to first base, sharing starts with veteran Paul Goldschmidt. It appears that Goldschmidt, a four-time Gold Glove winner, is rubbing off on Rice, who already looks much more comfortable at the position than he did even just a few months ago. Add that on top of the fact that he is still a serviceable catcher and could easily serve as a backup for any team, and it’s safe to say that Ben Rice provides value to the Yankees that goes way beyond what meets the eye.
With some of the game’s most well-known stars like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in New York’s deep lineup, it’s easy to overlook hitters like Rice. But, as the 2026 season progresses, there is no doubt that he will blossom into one of the game’s most dynamic and underrated pure hitters.
Main Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
