5/5 🧵 So the takeaway is simple: Boone says Rice probably won’t become the regular leadoff hitter, but that almost misses the point. Whether he hits first or in the heart of the order, Rice is playing his way into a much bigger role because the usual excuse to sit him — especially versus lefties — is getting weaker by the day. 📎 Source
4/5 🧵 The nastiest part for opponents: Rice isn’t just feasting in one split. He’s crushing everybody. The article notes a 1.332 OPS against lefties and a 1.255 OPS against righties. That’s absurd. Boone basically admitted as much, saying he likes Rice “pretty much against everyone,” while Aaron Judge praised the “quality at-bat after quality at-bat” approach and the on-base value ahead of the middle of the order.
3/5 🧵 Rice rewarded that move immediately. In the Yankees’ 7-0 win, he reached base 3 times in 5 plate appearances, including his 8th homer of the year and his 4th homer in 4 games. That’s not just timely production — that’s a guy forcing the manager to stop treating him like a platoon puzzle piece and start treating him like an everyday problem for pitchers.
2/5 🧵 The leadoff assignment wasn’t some grand reinvention. Aaron Boone said it came from a weird lineup day: Giancarlo Stanton sat after six straight starts, Paul Goldschmidt was in against a lefty, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also had a day off. Add in lefty Cole Ragans — who’s oddly been tougher on righties than lefties — and Rice got bumped to the top.
1/5 🧵 Ben Rice is making the Yankees’ lineup math look stupid. He got a rare shot leading off, and instead of just “holding the spot,” he torched Kansas City again — homer, 2 walks, constant traffic on the bases. The bigger story: this isn’t a cute hot streak anymore. He’s becoming one of the bats you build around.
5/5 🧵 So the takeaway is simple: Boone says Rice probably won’t become the regular leadoff hitter, but that almost misses the point. Whether he hits first or in the heart of the order, Rice is playing his way into a much bigger role because the usual excuse to sit him — especially versus lefties — is getting weaker by the day. 📎 Source
📎 Source
#threadstorm
4/5 🧵 The nastiest part for opponents: Rice isn’t just feasting in one split. He’s crushing everybody. The article notes a 1.332 OPS against lefties and a 1.255 OPS against righties. That’s absurd. Boone basically admitted as much, saying he likes Rice “pretty much against everyone,” while Aaron Judge praised the “quality at-bat after quality at-bat” approach and the on-base value ahead of the middle of the order.
3/5 🧵 Rice rewarded that move immediately. In the Yankees’ 7-0 win, he reached base 3 times in 5 plate appearances, including his 8th homer of the year and his 4th homer in 4 games. That’s not just timely production — that’s a guy forcing the manager to stop treating him like a platoon puzzle piece and start treating him like an everyday problem for pitchers.
2/5 🧵 The leadoff assignment wasn’t some grand reinvention. Aaron Boone said it came from a weird lineup day: Giancarlo Stanton sat after six straight starts, Paul Goldschmidt was in against a lefty, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also had a day off. Add in lefty Cole Ragans — who’s oddly been tougher on righties than lefties — and Rice got bumped to the top.
1/5 🧵 Ben Rice is making the Yankees’ lineup math look stupid. He got a rare shot leading off, and instead of just “holding the spot,” he torched Kansas City again — homer, 2 walks, constant traffic on the bases. The bigger story: this isn’t a cute hot streak anymore. He’s becoming one of the bats you build around.