New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice is coming off a promising sophomore campaign, showing off his intriguing left-handed power playing with the short, right-handed porch in the Bronx. Rice hit .255/.337/.499 with 26 home runs in 467 at-bats. While these numbers are already exceptional, they only scratch the surface of what Rice is capable of.
According to Baseball savant, Rice’s stats are elite and in the 90se percentile and higher in xWOBA, xSLUG, xBA, average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard hit percentage, sweet spot launch angle and chase. His expected batting average is .299 compared to his actual average of .255, which suggests he has been unlucky.
Rice clearly has untapped potential. Given his stellar attributes, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Yankees made him their everyday first baseman. However, that can be a bad idea.
Giving Ben Rice first base limits the Yankees’ ability to improve
The Yankees’ four-game loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS was just the latest edition of their annual disappointment, which has plagued them since their last World Series title in 2009. And if nothing changes, we can’t expect a different outcome.
In the postseason, Rice wasn’t exactly the middle-of-the-road hit the Yankees needed, going 4-for-18 with two walks and eight strikeouts, though he did hit one of the team’s six home runs. While there’s always a chance he can mature as a hitter, the Yankees still have a lot to improve on, and there are some attractive first base options on the free agent market.
Among the best first basemen up for grabs is Josh Naylor (although he isn’t exactly a fan favorite in the Bronx), Pete Alonso (opt out), Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto and Ryan O’Hearn. If the Yankees were to ignore this booming first-base market, it would significantly limit their ability to improve.
Would acquiring a new first baseman mean letting go of Rice? Not necessarily, the Yankees just need to develop him as a catcher and move Austin Wells into the backup role. In his second full year, Wells has shown no improvement at the plate, hitting .219/.275/.436 with 21 home runs. Should the Yankees sign an impact bat and replace Wells with Rice – or at least platoon them, as Wells is satisfactory against lefties – it would significantly improve their production.
Developing Rice as a backstop may not be an easy task, as he hasn’t shown much ability behind the plate. But if the Yankees can pull it off, it could be the difference between a return to the World Series and more of the familiar disappointment.
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