NEW YORK — At the start of spring training, the New York Yankees didn’t know who would be their leadoff hitter. Now, they have three — and each has mashed.
Designated hitter Ben Rice became the latest to prove that spot may be a strength for the Yankees when he went 2-for-4 with a home run in an 8-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.
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“Benny’s done such a good job up there,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He controls the strike zone, and then he’s so dangerous, too.”
Entering Saturday, catcher Austin Wells, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and Rice had combined in the No. 1 spot to hit .340 (17-for-50) with three homers, six RBIs and a 1.070 OPS through the team’s first 13 games. Goldschmidt had the most reps at the batting order position with eight. Wells had one and Rice had four.
In his fifth time at leadoff, Rice — hitting ahead of star Aaron Judge — started the game with a groundout. But in the second frame, he walked, and in the fifth, he crushed a 103.2-mph single as part of the Yankees’ five-run explosion. In the sixth, he blasted a solo shot off ex-Yankees reliever Lou Trivino at 113.2 mph — the hardest he’d ever hit a ball in the majors. The homer was his fourth of the season. He ended his night with a 105.3-mph line out to left field in the eighth.
“Same thing that we saw in spring,” center fielder Cody Bellinger said of Rice. “It hasn’t really changed. Just locked in. Locked into his plan. Locked into his approach. Guy who hits the ball extremely hard. It’s very fun to watch. It’s very impressive.”
113.2 mph Ben Bomb 💣 pic.twitter.com/UZDLu4KPWv
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 12, 2025
Last season, Rice appeared at the top of the lineup 10 times for the Yankees. The training paid off. Through five starts at leadoff this year, he’s hit .333 (6-for-18) with two homers, a double and a triple. He’s also walked seven times.
The 26-year-old, who also catches and plays first base, said hitting first doesn’t feel unusual for him.
“I think the biggest thing is when you move to a certain spot in the order, you’re probably there for a reason,” he said. “I think the biggest thing is really not to change too much.”
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Rice’s advanced metrics tell the story of a power hitter locked in. His average exit velocity of 97.5 mph and his hard-hit percentage are each within the top 1 percent of hitters in the game, according to Statcast.
His 1.121 OPS is the second-best on the Yankees behind Judge at 1.224. Overall, Rice is hitting .310 (15-for-52) with five RBIs, 13 strikeouts and nine walks. He’s reached base safely in 11 of his 12 games with a plate appearance this season, and his current eight-game on-base streak matches his longest ever.
Would those numbers indicate a player who may be a bit more than a flash in the pan?
“You would think,” Boone said. “Those were a lot of things that were kind of underneath last year, even. Even when he went through some struggles, he was still not being rewarded for some pretty good contact at the time. I feel like he’s taken that to another level. I feel that he’s in a way better place and a way better hitter and just a year more mature physically, mentally and playing with a lot of confidence. His at-bat quality is really good.”
Rice was well aware of his gaudy numbers so far. But he said he’s not paying attention to them.
“I try not to,” he said. “Just got to continue to be in the present.”
His biggest key?
“I think having a convicted approach every time you’re up to the plate,” he said. “Just trusting myself, trusting the instincts.”
(Photo: Tom Horak / Imagn Images)
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