With the New York Yankees gearing up for the playoffs, as there are four games left in the regular season ahead of Thursday's outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, the team is looking for young star Ben Rice to keep up the impressive year he's been having. As Rice has joined exclusive Yankees clubs with his impressive season, he would reflect on a prediction that manager Aaron Boone had about him earlier in the year.
During New York's spring training, Boone predicted Rice would record 39 home runs this season, as the 27-year-old exceeded that on Wednesday, hitting his 40th and 41st, which ties for first in the American League. After hitting his 40th, which was on the very first pitch of the game to the Yankees, Rice reflected on Boone's original prediction.
“I think I said, ‘Hey, there's 40 for you,'” Rice said, via ESPN. “I was joking with him after the 41st one, saying, ‘Hey, thanks for inspiring me this year.' But it's all in good fun. Back in spring when he told me that, I knew that secretly meant he was hoping I'd hit 40.”
Besides Rice's 41 home runs, he's recorded a .263 batting average with 97 RBIs and a .900 OPS.
Article Continues BelowYankees' Aaron Boone on Ben Rice
There's no denying that Rice will be integral to the Yankees' postseason hopes, as there's no denying the standout quality he possesses, which is what led to the original prediction from Boone.
“I was confident he was going to have a really big year,” he said. “Probably wanted to make sure it was just south of a number, maybe to maybe let him know that.”
His work ethic has stood out to star Aaron Judge, whose status for the wild card series is still in question, who said Rice is “one of the best” in his consistency in preparing and improving himself, calling him a “machine.” At any rate, it remains to be seen if Rice can continue his impressive play in the playoffs, with the first game in the wild card series taking place next Tuesday, as the opponent has yet to be decided.