Aaron Boone backed Ben Rice’s breakout, saying he’s turning into one of the best hitters in baseball as the New York Yankees enter Saturday’s game against the Mets with a 28-17 record. Rice enters with career highs in batting average and OBP, plus team-leading
The Yankees are riding a hot stretch heading into Saturday’s clash with the Mets, boasting a 28-17 record, and manager Aaron Boone used the pregame moment to spotlight Ben Rice as the kind of hitter who’s getting impossible to ignore.
Speaking to media members before the game. Boone said he believes Rice is becoming one of the best hitters in baseball.. “I think he’s turning into one of the best hitters in the league,” Boone said about Rice.. He added, “Did I have him at that level [coming up]?. I don’t know.. I knew he could hit.. I knew he could.. I really thought he was a middle-of-the-order hitter on a really good team.. I think he’s probably shown he’s even a little more than that.”
Boone also acknowledged he always believed in Rice’s ability, even when the slugger was a prospect. The manager stressed that Rice, now 27 years old, is “coming into his own” during this season.
Rice’s numbers back up the praise in a big way. The third-year veteran enters Saturday’s game against the Mets batting .314 with a .418 OBP—both career highs—along with 43 hits, 14 home runs, and 30 RBIs. He’s also pacing MLB in slugging percentage (.686) and OPS (1.104).
The breakout has placed Rice in a position Boone can’t help but talk about: if he keeps producing at this level, he could find himself in the mix for one of the season awards and potentially earn his first All-Star nod.
Boone’s comments fit tightly with the season arc already visible in Rice’s production: a player the Yankees viewed as a middle-of-the-order bat is now carrying career-high on-base skills and league-leading slugging and OPS into a matchup against the Mets—backed by a Yankees team entering at 28-17.
MISRYOUM Sports MLB New York Yankees New York Mets Aaron Boone Ben Rice