Ben Rice Is A Legit Yankee Star

Talk about a guy that no one really thought about in the Yankees organization and then suddenly emerged as a better catcher defensively and offensively than the catcher the Yankees back room put all their money on.  I mean, Ben Rice is a star and Yankee fans love the guy.  He’s everything we could have asked for, plus, has a great attitude, is humble and just loves to play the game.  

Yanks Go Yard says it best: “…here we are in year three for Volpe and the second season of at least somewhat regular playing time for Wells, and instead it’s Rice, a former mid-tier prospect in a mid-tier system, who is stealing the show.”

That’s the truth, and it stings a little. The Yankees spent the last few years hyping up Anthony Volpe as the next cornerstone shortstop and Austin Wells as the future behind the plate, yet it’s Ben Rice—a guy who wasn’t even supposed to be more than a depth piece—who’s suddenly becoming a star in the Bronx.

Look at the numbers: Rice is hitting .254 with 24 home runs, which puts him 28% better than the league average hitter. That’s not just good—it’s the kind of production the Yankees hoped they’d be getting out of Volpe or Wells. Instead, Rice is the one carrying himself like a polished big leaguer.

And it’s not luck. His success comes from real adjustments: a wider stance, quicker bat speed, and the ability to drive the ball in the air with authority. Add in the fact that he has the discipline to spit on pitches out of the zone, and suddenly you’ve got a hitter who looks like he’s been in the league for a decade, not a kid just breaking in. His coaches rave about his ability to read pitchers, which explains why he’s so tough to get out. Rice isn’t chasing the game—it’s the game that’s now chasing him.

Compare that to his so-called peers. Wells has managed to nudge his average up to .221, which sounds nice until you realize the rest of his offensive profile is still among the worst in the league. Volpe? Don’t even get me started. He’s batting a dismal .212, his defense has regressed, and yet Aaron Boone insists on running him out there night after night as if “trying harder” is going to magically fix him. Boone treating Volpe like his golden child is frustrating when Jose Caballero is sitting right there, giving you better defense and a better bat, but collecting dust because the manager seems allergic to change.

It’s almost comical. The Yankees poured all their trust, resources, and hype into Volpe and Wells, but it’s Rice—the “mid-tier prospect in a mid-tier system”—who’s blowing them out of the water. The kid is already showing more power, patience, and poise at the plate than his teammates who were supposed to be sure things.

And here’s the bigger picture: it proves that the backroom “projection analytics” run by a bunch of spreadsheet jockeys aren’t the crystal ball they claim to be. For all the charts and models, they missed the guy who’s now producing like an All-Star. Ben Rice is the living reminder that you can’t always measure makeup, work ethic, and adjustments with a graph.

So what’s my point? Simple. Rice is emerging as a real star, the kind of player Yankee fans can rally behind, and it’s been a joy watching him prove everyone wrong. Forget the hype machine and the overcooked projections—the numbers say it, the eye test confirms it, and the energy at Yankee Stadium backs it up. Ben Rice is here, he’s the story, and honestly, it feels pretty great rooting for a kid who wasn’t handed anything, but is taking everything.