Yankees finally getting first base stability again

It is the most significant jump in the development of a homegrown first baseman since Don Mattingly. Mattingly hit .278/.326/.399 and four homers in his first 98 games across the 1982 and 1983 seasons, and then burst on the scene in 1984, where he finished the season fifth in MVP voting. That year, he hit .343/.381/.537 with 23 home runs, while also walking away with Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

Rice may never reach the heights that Mattingly did, but he does not need to. Hitting in the lineup with Rice is one of the best to do it, Aaron Judge, and all the captain needs from him is what he showed last season, which is 25-plus-homer power and an OPS north of .800.

During the Winter Meetings, general manager Brian Cashman spoke about his budding first base star. He lauded Rice for his versatility.

"I view Ben Rice as having an everyday role in the big leagues for us next year, whether it's at first… right now the lane is first base, I have no doubt teams will continue to com

"I view Ben Rice as having an everyday role in the big leagues for us next year, whether it's at first… right now the lane is first base, I have no doubt teams will continue to come after our players, Rice included, for trade conversations," Cashman said, according to James O'Connell of the Daily News. "But as of right now, yeah, he's in our lineup, and the more likely spot would be first base.

"But he can catch, as well. I have [Austin] Wells is our catcher, and him at first, but, again, you never know how the winds of change blow here every winter. And they'll be challenge trades made to us or by us, and most will lead nowhere, with one team insulting the other, vice versa. More likely than not, I see him at first base, without a doubt."

First base since 2016

Rice may not bring the sparkling defense of a Mattingly or even Anthony Rizzo, whose defensive metrics did see a decline in the Bronx. He just needs to be good enough to pick balls out of the dirt and at least be a neutral to slightly below-average defender by Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. If he delivers the slug that he did in 2025, the Yankees will forgive a few defensive lapses.

The fact is that first base has been a black hole for the Yankees since Tex retired. Rice consistently holding down first is already a massive upgrade from where the Yankees have been for the last decade, outside of the pockets of success.

Of those 41 players to play first base for the Yankees, 29 of them saw at least 20 innings at the position. The names range from Chris Parmelee, Ike Davis, JD Davis, Kendrys Morales, Jay Bruce (who retired weeks after winning the position out of spring training), Chris Gittens (who is playing pro ball on another continent), Dustin Ackley, Chase Headley and Chris Carter.

This cavalcade of journeymen hit .239/.318/.415 since 2016 and accumulated an 8.7 WAR, according to Fangraphs. For Rice to succeed, he needs to be at least be better than that. This isn't a hard mountain to climb.

It is hard to project how good a young player will be from one year to the next, but Rice's peripheral stats were elite in 2025. He was in the 90th percentile or higher in xw0BA, xBA, xSLG, exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit rate, displaying a Judgian page on Baseball Savant. So far so good.