The New York Yankees are off to a hot start to their season with a 3-0 record after sweeping the San Francisco Giants.
New York made franchise history after sweeping opponents to open the regular season three years in a row, with its pitching staff taking center stage in the series against San Francisco, allowing just one run in three games.
The Yankees boasted arguably the best offense in baseball last season, spearheaded by Aaron Judge. The offense could still take a step forward this season, especially if Ben Rice improves offensively in his third season in the big leagues.
Rice impressed last season, mashing 26 home runs and driving in 65 runs, but Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter thinks the 27-year-old is going to take it to a whole new level this season, boldly predicting Rice mashes 40 home runs this season.
“Ben Rice was one of the breakout offensive players of the 2025 season, posting a 131 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 26 home runs, 65 RBI and 2.3 WAR in 530 plate appearances while splitting his time between catcher and first base,” Reuter wrote Saturday. “The 27-year-old put up those numbers despite limited production against left-handed pitching, batting .208 with seven home runs in 119 plate appearances against southpaws, so there is room for more with improvement in that area.
“His elite batted-ball metrics, including hard-hit rate (97th percentile), barrel rate (92nd percentile) and average exit velocity (95th percentile), make his breakout performance look more like his production floor. Playing his home games in a ballpark that is friendly to lefty sluggers further elevates his power profile. A 40-homer, 100-RBI season out of the cleanup spot between Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton would take the Yankees offense to another level.”
It’s surprising to see Rice predicted to be such a dominant force at the plate this season, given how poorly he performs against left-handed pitching. Though the 27-year-old boasts impressive power, he won’t always start for the Yankees as the team utilizes right-handed batters like Paul Goldschmidt at times.
If Rice wants any chance to hit anywhere near 40 home runs this season, he will need to improve against left-handed pitching.
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