TAMPA – When Ben Rice reported to spring coaching this 12 months, he did so with a extra muscular body than the 216-pound one which he debuted with final June.
Rice stated that he’s added 10-15 kilos since then. He specified that every one that weight wasn’t added over the offseason alone, however all through the final a number of months.
“It wasn’t this two-month, ultimate transformation,” Rice stated. “People keep saying it. It would be impossible to add good, functional weight in that short of a span.”
Rice known as the load achieve a “personal decision,” because the 26-year-old felt he wanted to fill out extra. Nonetheless, he consulted with Drew Weisberg, the Yankees’ dietician, in his quest so as to add muscle.
“He basically just said all you gotta do is add some more calories and carbs in there,” Rice stated. “That was the main thing. It seemed to do the trick over the course of a few months.”
Rice’s new physique has yielded enormous outcomes this spring, as he entered Monday’s spring coaching finale in opposition to the Mets hitting .259/.328/.880 with 5 dwelling runs and 9 RBI. Whereas exhibition stats ought to at all times be taken with a grain of salt, Rice has been frequently smoking the ball over 100 mph, an encouraging signal because the Yankees search for him to assist fill the DH void left by Giancarlo Stanton’s tennis elbows.
“He’s banging,” Aaron Boone lately stated. “He’s killing the ball. We saw that last year. We saw him flash that at the big league level.”
Added Brian Cashman: “He’s hammering it. He’s had a great spring swinging the bat. He worked his tail off this winter. We already felt he was a quality, talented player. So he just continues to reinforce that.”
Ben Rice EVAPORATES a ball 113.3 MPH for solo HR; it is the hardest-hit ball of his CAREER. pic.twitter.com/WrW7qppS3D
Rice stated that there’s little question his weight achieve has contributed to the more durable contact he’s made.
“Absolutely,” he stated. “With more mass and more force going into the baseball, it’s gonna come off harder.
“It definitely gives you more room for error.”
With Stanton out indefinitely, Rice ought to see loads of motion after enjoying in 50 main league video games final season. He struggled general, slashing simply .171/.264/.349 with seven homers and 23 RBI.
Nonetheless, there have been bursts of potential, like when he crushed three homers in opposition to the Crimson Sox on July 6.
Now the Yankees are hoping that the uber-confident, bulked-up Rice generally is a constant offensive pressure whereas additionally serving to at first base and behind the plate.
“We saw him take his lumps at the big league level,” Boone stated. “But even then, he was still hitting the ball hard a lot. Now he’s just physically that much stronger, and that’s showing. He’s hitting the ball as hard as anyone you’ll see consistently, all while controlling the strike zone.”
