Alexander Wilson
The New York Yankees moved Ben Rice to the top of the batting order on Sunday and he responded the way he always does when given an opportunity: two walks, a homer, two runs scored. Final score, 7-0. Royals swept. Season going very well.
Rice is now hitting .338/.476/.800 with eight home runs and a 245 wRC+, meaning he’s been 145% better than the average MLB hitter to start the year. His walk rate sits at 21.4%. He ranks in the 97th percentile or better in barrel rate, average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and walk rate. We’ve covered what a superstar he’s becoming and how he’s outpacing the entire Mets roster in home runs alongside Judge. At some point the superlatives stop being enough. The man is just one of the best hitters in baseball right now.
Why Leadoff Makes So Much Sense
Aaron Boone has been careful with how he uses Rice this season, but he hasn’t been shy about what he thinks. “Benny’s done such a good job up there,” Boone told The Athletic. “He controls the strike zone, and then he’s so dangerous, too.”
That is exactly what you want to hear from a manager explaining why his first baseman is hitting leadoff. Rice controls the zone at an elite level, which means he either gets on base through a walk or forces the pitcher to throw something hittable. When Aaron Judge is hitting second behind him, pitchers are caught in an impossible position. Throw strikes to Rice and he’ll barrel them. Nibble around the zone and he’ll take the walk and put the most dangerous hitter in baseball up with a runner on base. There is no good option for opposing pitching staffs.
The plate appearance volume advantage is real too. Leadoff hitters get more at-bats over the course of a season than any other spot in the lineup. Getting Rice five plate appearances instead of four adds up to meaningful additional damage over 162 games from a player hitting at this level.
The Lefty Question Is Answered
The concern entering the season was whether Rice could handle left-handed pitching well enough to start every day. Over 20 plate appearances against lefties, he’s hitting .353. That’s actually higher than his .333 average against right-handed pitching. Boone said before the season that he expected Rice to play “a lot” against lefties in 2026, and the results have backed that up completely. The platoon question is closed. Rice hits everybody.
I’ve written several times this season about the frustration of watching Boone sit Rice against lefties early in the year when the numbers said he should be playing. Sunday’s performance from the leadoff spot, and the decision to put him there in the first place, suggests the Yankees have arrived at the same conclusion. About time.
The Yankees are 13-9, sitting at the top of the AL East, and Boston comes to town Tuesday. With Rice at the top of the order, this lineup is considerably more dangerous than it was even a week ago.
More about:New York Yankees
