Ben Rice Stats & Scouting Report

AB	146
AVG	.178
OBP	.273
SLG	.363
HR	7

Full name Benjamin Kimball Rice
Born 02/22/1999 in Cohasset, MA
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Dartmouth
Drafted in the 12th round (363rd overall) by the New York Yankees in 2021 (signed for $125,000).

View Draft Report

The Ivy League didn’t play this spring, so teams have had limited looks at Rice with Dartmouth over the last two years. However, Rice did have a big summer last year playing in the Futures League, where he won the MVP award after hitting .350/.467/.683, and he was off to a good start this summer playing for Cotuit in the Cape Cod League. Rice has a good offensive track record with wood bats and has good power from the left side, but his catch-and-throw skills will need improvement to stay behind the plate.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 50/High

Track Record: After a season and change at Dartmouth, Rice’s college career ended when the pandemic canceled the remainder of the 2020 season and the Ivy League chose to cancel the 2021 season as well. By the time he was drafted, he had nearly three times as many plate appearances in summer college leagues as he did with Dartmouth. Yankees area scout Matt Hyde stayed on him the whole time, and New York pounced in the 12th round. After two seasons spent mostly at Low-A, Rice broke out in 2023 and was one of the system’s biggest risers despite a left oblique injury that limited his season to just 73 games.

Scouting Report: Throughout his career, Rice’s hallmark has been his strong plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills. The results have been strikeout and walk rates of roughly 19% and 13%. He was also one of just three minor leaguers with 20 or more homers and fewer than 70 strikeouts. The lefty hitter hits the ball quite hard, with average (91) and 90th percentile (104) exit velocities that ranked among the best in the system. His barrel accuracy was also excellent. When he’s going bad, Rice has a tendency to hook balls. To fix the problem, the Yankees worked with him to keep his body in the proper position to stay behind pitches and drive them across the field. Rice catches in a one-knee down stance and did a good job keeping pitches in front of him--he allowed just one passed ball all year--but he’s going to have to really improve his arm to control the running game. He caught just 5 of 68 potential basestealers between High-A and Double-A. Rice also got into 18 games at first base, which could be his long-term home.

The Future: Rice will play all of the 2024 season as a 25-year-old, when he’ll likely make his Triple-A debut. He could be an offensive-minded player who bounces between first base and catcher but plays regularly.

Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 30 | Field: 40 | Arm: 40

Career Transactions

New York Yankees selected the contract of C Ben Rice from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
C Ben Rice assigned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders from Somerset Patriots.
C Ben Rice assigned to Somerset Patriots from Hudson Valley Renegades.
C Ben Rice assigned to Somerset Patriots from Hudson Valley Renegades.
Hudson Valley Renegades sent C Ben Rice on a rehab assignment to Tampa Tarpons.
Hudson Valley Renegades placed C Ben Rice on the 7-day injured list.
C Ben Rice assigned to Hudson Valley Renegades from Tampa Tarpons.
C Ben Rice and assigned to New York Yankees.