Young Ben Rice is a wonderful story, whether it was a one-night stand or continuing unexpected magic. That the Yankees even discovered the Boston native and Dartmouth College graduate was the first miracle. How many more miracles are to come?
Yankees scouts worked overtime, staffing pickup games and practices in Northborough, Duxbury, Needham, Scituate and other hub suburbs where Rice and Ivy League hopefuls played during the academics-first conference’s two-year pandemic hiatus. The Yankees liked his play and made him a 12th-round draft prospect, and now he’s looked great.
Rice is a big plus, not just because he could be a third threat to replace the Yankees’ two superstars or because he became a trivia question Saturday after becoming the first Yankees rookie to hit three home runs, but because he brings an energy and youthful enthusiasm to a veteran-studded clubhouse that has been missing so far.
Rice’s big game against a team he didn’t root for as a kid (he was a Yankees fan growing up in upscale Cohasset, Massachusetts) marked a striking turnaround from a darker trend, but even manager Aaron Boone didn’t necessarily think the effects would last.
“I think the focus shifts to today,” Boone said matter-of-factly, as the Yankees hoped to reverse their recent slump with a nationally televised win over the rival Red Sox on Sunday night and extend their winning streak to its first in nearly a month.
Rice, now more mature than 25, shares the same view.
“Obviously it was exciting yesterday. It’s hard to forget, but we’ll try again soon. The best thing about baseball is there’s still a game the next day,” Rice told the Post.
Rice is a nice story, but the Yankees need to prove they can recapture the brilliance of their first 70 games. Three areas of concern remain.
1. Rotation
“We feel like we have the talent,” Boone said, but the Yankees kept an eye on the starting pitching market even when things were going well.
The starting rotation, which was the best in baseball through the first 70 games, went 5-14 with an MLB-worst 7.37 ERA (6.36 ERA overall for all pitchers), and you’d think they’d be better with reigning Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole back in the lineup, but everyone else took a step back.
Marcus Stroman’s ERA improved from 2.60 to 3.58. Carlos Rodon’s improved from 2.93 to 4.45. And Sunday night’s starter, Luis Gil’s ERA, saw the biggest increase, going from 1.82 to 3.41 entering the game.
Boone praised Gill’s talent but acknowledged that he is “still a work in progress.”
If anything, it seems like a regression given the situation so far.
2. Bullpen
The Yankees’ bullpen has been criticized for being too churn-heavy at times and for not having enough “strikeout-swinging” pitchers, and the numbers suggest that may be to blame: The Yankees’ 3.63 ERA is 8th out of 30 teams, but their 8.62 strikeouts per nine innings are 18th.
Setup man Luke Weaver has generally been phenomenal, but Friday’s loss to the Red Sox, in which closer (and surprise All-Star) Clay Holmes gave up a game-tying home run one strike away from taking the lead and Tommy Kahnle gave up a game-winning homer an inning later, illustrated why the Yankees have put the most effort into strengthening their bullpen.
Red Sox. Robert Sabo, NY Post
The good news is that despite the severity of the seller’s market overall, there should be quality relief pitchers available, and even if they can’t acquire All-Star closers Tanner Scott or Mason Miller, there should be other relief pitchers on the market.
3. Lineup
Boone may have solved his leadoff hitter problem by putting rising star Rice in that position, but the lineup is still very top-heavy, with Rice followed by MVP candidate Juan Soto and the great Aaron Judge, along with six other players with an OPS+ below 100.
Based on early performance, Rice may actually be better suited cleanup than leadoff, but Boone said he likes Alex Verdugo’s “presence” there and said he has confidence in the former Red Sox player, suggesting he’s simply “struggled a little bit” for a “two or three weeks.”
They’re without Giancarlo Stanton, at least as expected, and Boone praised Anthony Volpe’s recent at-bats, though he’s looked a lot like 2023 Volpe lately.
Gleyber Torres was removed from the starting lineup for the second straight game because of groin tightness and has just looked off overall this year, and two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu hasn’t been a threat lately (.497 OPS). He’s still playing, but the question is how much longer he’ll be able to play.
Boone couldn’t deny the struggles of the bottom two-thirds of the lineup. “Hopefully, some of the other guys will step up and step up,” he said.
The Yankees have acted as if they don’t need to consider an infielder on the trade market, but they have few options from here. Their new young players have provided surprising quick satisfaction, like Minute Rice. But we’ll need to see more from a number of other players to know if the Yankees are out of their misery.
