Yankees Praise Ben Rice's Improved First Base Play as Product of Offseason Work

SEATTLE — Ben Rice's defensive work at first base has become one of the early bright spots for the Yankees, and teammates say the improvement is no accident.

Aaron Judge said he saw Rice "bouncing" around the club's player development complex every day back in January, weeks before players were required to report for spring training. "It didn't matter the day," Judge recalled. "I knew he was going to be there for a while."

Rice's winter schedule was crowded. He needed to take his swings in the batting cage, and because he came up through the system as a catcher, he also caught bullpen sessions as pitchers arrived in Tampa. Most important of all, he worked on first base, which is now his primary position.

The effort appears to be paying off. Over the Yankees' first few games of the season, Rice looked far more comfortable there than he did last year, when he was still learning the position. The club was not surprised. Rice's work ethic and initiative have impressed the organization since his college days, when he helped organize a makeshift baseball league during pandemic-era restrictions.

"He's been a guy throughout his minor league career that you give him a challenge; he's been able to kind of conquer it," manager Aaron Boone said. "He keeps getting better over there, and we need him to keep doing it."

On Opening Night against the Giants, Rice made a few scoops. Improving that skill was a top offseason priority for the 27-year-old, who often struggled with low throws last season. He continues to focus on it and regularly practices with veteran teammate Paul Goldschmidt, a four-time Gold Glover at first base. Still, Rice acknowledged that nothing replaces game action. "The more games I get under my belt, the more comfortable I'm going to feel," he said. "I can do as much practice as I want, but the reality is I gotta keep getting in-game reps to keep feeling better."

Before Saturday's game, Rice worked on his scoops with Brett Weber, the Yankees' senior director of advance scouting and a coaching assistant, during an optional batting practice session. That night he played a key role in the Yankees' series-sweeping win, hitting a two-run double and making several important plays in the field.

He was tested right away, charging a chopper hit between himself and Will Warren, flipping to the pitcher and recording an out in the first inning. The play may look routine, but it is still relatively new to Rice. He was also involved in four inning-ending double plays turned by the Yankees. In the fourth, he started one by fielding a hopper and throwing to second. In the sixth, he finished one by stretching up the first base line for a throw. That play left him off balance and tumbling to the dirt as he avoided a serious collision with a sprinting Harrison Bader, but he kept contact with the bag and completed the out.

With Rice playing a noticeably cleaner first base through his first two games, the Yankees had more to celebrate than their perfect start. "It just speaks volumes to the work he put in over the offseason," Judge said. "Tip of the cap to him, and I'm looking forward to more big plays out of him."