The New York Yankees relied on the man wearing No. 22 in big moments last season.
That’s true this season, too, with the big left-handed hitter helping balance out a lineup with righty superstar Aaron Judge.
But it’s not the same person wearing No. 22.
Last season, it was Juan Soto. This time around, Ben Rice.
Soto went to the Mets for $765 million. So far, Rice is outplaying the guy who used to wear this number in pinstripes.
Here’s how they compare in some major stats entering Friday night:
- Batting average: Rice .288 to .233
- OBP: Rice .402 to .364
- Slugging: Rice .603 to .389
- Home runs: Rice 6 to 3
- WAR: Rice 0.9 to 0.8
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Soto only leads Rice in RBI (12 to 11). They’re tied in hits (21) and steals (2) as far as the major categories go.
Rice, who has only played this much because he can DH with Giancarlo Stanton injured, has been crucial to the Yankees not skipping a beat without Soto.
Meanwhile, Soto has struggled some in the early going of his Mets career before slowly starting to heat up lately.
This probably won’t continue, probably. But Yankees fans will enjoy the heck out of their new No. 22 for as long as they can.
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