Yankees Budding Star Ben Rice’s Breakout Season By The Numbers

Ben Rice is tearing it up. If the 2026 American League MVP voting were held today, the New York Yankees’ first baseman would likely be a finalist for the award, as the 27-year-old has come into his own as a budding force for the Bronx Bombers. Here’s Rice’s 2026 campaign by the numbers: 1: Rice leads the Yankees in hits (62), doubles (15), RBIs (44), total bases (132), runs scored (46), batting average (.300), on-base percentage (.393), slugging percentage (.638), OPS (1.031) and OPS+ (184). 2: His .638 slugging percentage, 1.031 OPS, 184 OPS+ and .435 weighted on-base percentage each rank second in MLB, according to FanGraphs. 2.7: Rice’s 2.7 offensive WAR (wins above replacement) has him in a three-way tie with Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez and Detroit Tigers rookie infielder Kevin McGonigle for seventh in MLB. 5: The number of three-plus-hit games Rice has this season. 16: The number of multi-hit games Rice has this season. [What’s Next: For Aaron Judge, The Yankees And The AL MVP Race] 17: Rice is tied with Yankees superstar and three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge for the team lead with 17 home runs, who are both tied with Atlanta Braves star first baseman Matt Olson for fifth in the sport. 40: The number of games Rice has recorded a hit this season. 44: Tino Martinez hit 44 home runs in the 1997 regular season, which was the most homers hit in a single season by a Yankees’ first baseman since Lou Gehrig hit 49 home runs in both 1934 and 1936 (Gehrig also hit 47 home runs in 1927 and 46 homers in 1931); Rice is on pace to hit more home runs than Martinez did in 1997 and tracks to challenge Gehrig for the all-time franchise record for a first baseman. Granted, Rice, who has made 34 starts/37 appearances at first base for the Yankees this season, has been the team’s designated hitter in 19 games. 90: Rice’s 92.3 mph average exit velocity ranks in the 90th percentile of MLB, according to Statcast. 91: His 50.7% hard-hit percentage ranks in the 91st percentile of the sport. 95: Rice’s 17.1% barrel percentage ranks in the 95th percentile of MLB. Watch Rice and the Yankees take on the AL East-rival Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, which can be viewed at 7:35 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app.