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Ben Rice is tearing it up.
If voting for the 2026 American League MVP were held today, the New York Yankees first baseman would likely be a finalist for the award, as the 27-year-old has established himself as a burgeoning 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) puts him in a three-way tie with Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez and Detroit Tigers rookie infielder Kevin McGonigle for seventh place in MLB.
5: The number of games with more than three hits played by Rice this season.
16: Rice’s number of multi-hit games 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, both of which are tied with Atlanta Braves star first baseman Matt Olson for fifth in the sport.
40: The number of games Rice has logged is a success this season.
44: Tino Martinez hit 44 home runs during the 1997 regular season, which was the most home runs hit in a single season by a Yankees first baseman since Lou Gehrig hit 49 home runs in 1934 and 1936 (Gehrig also hit 47 home runs in 1927 and 46 home runs in 1931); Rice is on pace to hit more homers than Martinez in 1997 and is on track 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 average exit velocity of 92.3 mph ranks in the 90th percentile in MLB, according to Statcast.
91: His hard hit percentage of 50.7% ranks in the 91st percentile in the sport.
95: Rice’s 17.1% barrel percentage ranks in the 95th percentile in MLB.
Watch Rice and the Yankees take on the AL East rival Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, which can be seen at 7:35 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app.
