SARASOTA, Fla. – Yankees catcher/first baseman Ben Rice is raking. He credit added energy and expertise together with his stable exhibiting this spring.
Rice is batting .260 with 5 homers (tied for third within the Grapefruit League) and 9 RBIs after a rain-delayed 9-7 win over the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Even after going 0-for-4, Rice has a .560 slugging share, an .899 OPS and 28 complete bases.
“He’s banging,” Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone stated of Rice earlier than the sport. “He’s been killing the ball. We noticed that final 12 months. We noticed him on the large league degree. Took his lumps on the large league degree, too. However even then, he was nonetheless hitting the ball onerous so much.”
Rice received known as up final June 18 and was batting .294 after hitting three homers with seven RBIs in opposition to the Purple Sox on July 6. However he went into a gradual decline, and he ended up batting .171 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 152 at-bats.
What was crucial factor Rice realized whereas breaking into the Majors?
“I feel that you just’ve simply received to stay to your strengths,” stated Rice. “Cowl a weak spot and simply lean in your strengths.”
Boone added, “Now, he’s simply bodily even that a lot stronger. So he’s hitting the ball as onerous as anybody you’ll see – constantly onerous. He’s controlling the strike zone properly – had a pair walks yesterday in and round that large homer. So he’s simply wanting like a very good hitter.”
Rice is listed at 6-foot-2, 228 kilos after including 10 kilos.
“It’s 10 actually good kilos,” famous Boone.
Rice added on the elevated energy: “These issues positively assist in hitting the ball tougher. But additionally, simply having that have below my belt, figuring out how guys are going to pitch me. Realizing my strengths, I do know what I’ve received to do.”
“I simply ate extra,” stated Rice, who had a plate of macaroni and cheese and hen after the sport. “Simply carbs, protein, something.”
Rice’s common exit velocity final season was 90 mph, and he stated it’s positively above that this spring.
Rice stated: “Having the timing down. Having the strategy down, good barrel consciousness. These are the issues – you possibly can nonetheless get as robust as you need – however you’ve nonetheless received to sq. up the ball.”
Rice has been the catcher eight occasions and the primary baseman 5 occasions this spring. Boone stated he additionally components in at designated hitter.
The place would possibly Rice, who added catching to his expertise within the Minors in 2022, match greatest?
“It relies upon how we go behind [starter] Austin [Wells],” stated Boone. “Can we go two catchers? Can we go three catchers?”
J.C. Escarra is also within the catching combine.
Boone added on Rice: “He’s able to all of it. Like, he’s catching tonight and enjoying first tomorrow, I feel, in Lakeland [against the Tigers]. We’ve DH’d him. So we need to attempt to get his bat in the place we will.
“He’s in a very good place.”
When requested if he can sense the arrogance Rice is enjoying with, Boone stated, “Confidence, sure. Instantly final 12 months, it seemed like this man was going to hit. He’s actually turn into a great receiver.
“However I feel he’s actually assured when he walks as much as the plate. [Bench coach] Brad [Ausmus] and I have been speaking about it the opposite day. He’s fairly assured strolling up. You hit the ball like he does, you already know, there’s no motive [not to be].”
You be the JudgeYankees proper fielder Aaron Decide is a type of gamers who has nothing to show in Spring Coaching. Nonetheless, after strolling twice and placing out swinging in opposition to Baltimore, Decide is batting .115, with a double being his solely extra-base hit in 26 at-bats.
What are Boone’s ideas on his reigning American League Most Priceless Participant this spring?
“He seems good to me,” stated Boone. “He’s about able to roll. He tries various things together with his fingers, placement, work on totally different little issues that he needs to tinker with for the season. So he’s on monitor.”
Hitters work on their video games within the spring identical to pitchers do. Even the very best hitters are in search of methods to enhance and evolve.
And Decide, who turns 33 April 26, has been a beast in 9 seasons, with 315 homers and 716 RBIs. He had profession highs in 2024 with a .322 batting common and 144 RBIs whereas hitting 58 homers – 4 fewer than his American League-record exhibiting in ‘22.
