Benjamin Rice—the Only 22 We Need
Ben Rice through the first 22G of 2026 (84 PA)
- .338/.476/.800
- 1.276 OPS
- .529 wOBA | .464 xwOBA
- .462 ISO
- 21.4% BB% | 25.0% K%
- 245 wRC+
Juan Soto through the first 22G of 2024 (103 PA)
- .337/.456/.578
- 1.034 OPS
- .442 wOBA | .460 xwOBA
- .241 ISO
- 18.4% BB% | 11.7% K%
- 196 wRC+
Sure, we could have had both. But I never loved the idea of forcing Judge into CF, especially as he's now in his 30s and is just flat-out better in RF. The major question when Soto bolted was... how could the Yankees possibly replace that production?
Well, they didn't in year one (2025)—but they sure as hell have not only replaced it in 2026, but exceeded it early on. Ben Rice hit the crap out of the ball at every level. He's now starting to mash LHP and genuinely looks like one of the best hitters in the sport.
This is not a fluke. We once again are going to boast a better duo than any team in MLB.
u/cjwizarddd — 1 day ago