{"id":48028,"date":"2025-04-13T22:07:26","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T22:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=48028"},"modified":"2025-04-13T22:07:26","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T22:07:26","slug":"yankees-homegrown-breakout-star-is-off-to-a-hotter-start-than-juan-soto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=48028","title":{"rendered":"Yankees’ homegrown breakout star is off to a hotter start than Juan Soto"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Yankees'
Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Yankees knew re-signing Juan Soto was going to be a battle. The money was always going to be staggering, but few expected the New York Mets to swoop in and land him with a deal that rewrites the definition of generational wealth.<\/p>\n

Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract that could exceed $800 million if he opts back in after 2029 \u2014 a number so massive it feels like Monopoly money. While the Yankees were reportedly involved, they were ultimately outbid by their crosstown rivals.<\/p>\n

But as luck (and smart development) would have it, the Yankees might\u2019ve stumbled into a left-handed slugger of their own \u2014 and his name is Ben Rice.<\/p>\n

\"Yankees'
Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soto Still Doing Soto Things<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s be clear: Juan Soto is still one of the best hitters on the planet. Through the early stages of 2025, he\u2019s slashing .265\/.410\/.408 with one home run, four RBIs, and a 140 wRC+. He\u2019s walking nearly 20% of the time, striking out just 11.5%, and doing the exact things that make him one of the most disciplined and feared hitters in the league.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not hitting for power at quite the same clip he did last year in the Bronx, but it\u2019s early, and no one\u2019s doubting he\u2019ll find his home run swing soon enough.<\/p>\n

Ben Rice Explodes Onto the Scene<\/h2>\n

While Soto settles into his Mets megadeal, 26-year-old Ben Rice is exploding in the Bronx.<\/p>\n

Over 13 games, Rice is slashing .310\/.431\/.690 with four homers, five RBIs, and a 216 wRC+. That\u2019s not a typo \u2014 he\u2019s been 116% better than the average MLB hitter to start the year. In fact, he\u2019s been even more productive than Soto by nearly every major offensive metric.<\/p>\n

Rice\u2019s isolated power sits at a thunderous .381, and he\u2019s elevated his average exit velocity to 97.9 mph \u2014 nearly 8 mph higher than last year. His sixth-inning laser against the Giants on Monday was the hardest-hit ball of his career: a 372-foot missile into the right-field seats at 113.2 mph.<\/p>\n

\"Yankees'
Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elite Contact Quality Points to Sustainable Success<\/h2>\n

Rice\u2019s early success doesn\u2019t feel like a fluke, either. He\u2019s barreling up the ball 31% of the time and owns a ridiculous 72.4% hard-hit rate \u2014 both figures ranking near the top of the league.<\/p>\n

Statcast has him sitting in the 100th percentile in average exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard-hit percentage. He\u2019s not just getting lucky. He\u2019s hitting the ball hard<\/em> and doing it often.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This is the same guy who tore up every level of the minors. Now he\u2019s bringing that damage to the Bronx, and if he stays healthy and keeps this up, the Yankees might have a legitimate star \u2014 and one they\u2019re paying a tiny fraction of what Soto\u2019s making across town.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the best stories are the unexpected ones. While Soto grabs headlines in Queens, Rice is quietly becoming the bat the Yankees didn\u2019t know they\u2019d need \u2014 or have.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Yankees knew re-signing Juan Soto was going to be a battle. 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