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Ben Rice ’22 Finds Success at Every Level
8/6/2024 2:38:00 PM | Baseball
On June 5, the New York Yankees No. 12 prospect Ben Rice '22 was promoted from the Double-A Somerset Patriots to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Less than two weeks later, Rice got the call of a lifetime and made his way to Yankee Stadium.
"It all happened pretty fast. I can't say I expected it to be that short of a stint in Triple-A, but it all kind of just sped up and all of a sudden, I was in the Bronx," Rice said. "I didn't even have time to think about it…The debut was awesome, getting the first hit out of the way, and my first game was definitely some moments that I'll never forget."
Across the two minor league teams this season, Rice was batting .275 with 15 home runs. Having only played 11 games in Triple-A, Rice had a .333 batting average and a .619 slugging percentage.
In 37 games with the Yankees, Rice is hitting .200, having hit six doubles, seven home runs, knocking in 22 runs, and collecting 40 total bases.
Three of those home runs, seven of those RBI, and 12 of those bases came on July 6, a day that cemented Rice in Yankees history books, as he became the first Yankee's rookie in their 121-year history to hit three long balls in a game.
"It's insane. It's humbling in a way just because you know how many greats and legends have worn the pinstripes in the history of the organization. To have my name etched in history like that for that game is amazing," Rice said. "You never expect anything like that to happen. I mean, you never really go up there trying to hit homers either. I was just going up trying to make good decisions."
One of Rice's favorite memories at Dartmouth also featured a home run, a 21-inning bout with Penn, a game in which Rice hit his only home run as a member of the Big Green.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rice's time as a member of the Big Green was limited, but that did not stop him from being able to reflect on a positive experience that helped him get to the major leagues.
"You learn to handle yourself with balancing athletics and academics," Rice said. "[Dartmouth] helped me mature a lot while I was there and kind of prepare me for being on my own and navigating professional baseball, especially in the first year or two when it can feel like a little bit of a grind."
In addition to the time management and dedication picked up in Hanover, Rice secured the guidance of longtime Head Coach Bob Whalen.
"He got the most out of me and pushed me to get better as a young player," Rice said. "Even coming through sophomore and junior year when we didn't have our seasons, he was with me every step of the way and he supported all the decisions I made to continue my baseball career."
Whalen spoke just as highly of Rice, both as a high schooler and as a member of the Big Green. "A huge part of recruiting is projection…what's their ceiling look like? How much better can they get?" Whalen said. "Seeing him in the summer before his senior year, we knew that there was a good amount of projection. And I felt strongly that his ceiling was really high, that even though he was a really good player, we felt he could continue to get better."
While at Dartmouth, Whalen said Rice "never seemed stressed" because he possessed maturity. "It's fun to coach kids that want to be really good, because they're motivated to initially seek to understand what it takes to be successful at the level that they're playing at," Whalen said. "He always did great in school. He took it seriously because he was mature enough to know what he needed to do academically, so that when he needed to be down here, whether it's at morning conditioning, in the weight room, or at practice, he never felt like he was burning it at both ends."
One of seven Dartmouth student-athletes to make their major league debut since Whalen took over the program, he said Rice's success validates that it does not always matter where you go to school.
"You have to make sure that you're going somewhere where there are resources available from a facility standpoint, from many perspectives that will allow the players an opportunity to develop, both physically and in terms of skill development but in [baseball], if you have the ability to play at the next level, it doesn't matter as much," Whalen said. "If you come [to Dartmouth], you're not giving up a dream of playing at the highest level in your sport because it's Ivy League or because it's Dartmouth, you can do both…"
"These guys came here with the dream of pursuing excellence at both school and baseball, and they've been able to do both," Whalen said.
With people like Whalen, Yankees current bench coach and Dartmouth alum Brad Ausmus, and the rest of the Yankees staff in his corner, Rice has grown confidence that he is meant to be in the Bronx.
"When you come in as a rookie, especially with the New York Yankees of all teams, you just kind of hope you get welcomed with open arms, and you have the support of your coaches and teammates. And that's what I've had so far… It gives you more confidence that you can make an impact at this level."
Rice says confidence has gotten him this far, and his mentality and confidence in his approach will only continue to bring him success.
"It all happened pretty fast. I can't say I expected it to be that short of a stint in Triple-A, but it all kind of just sped up and all of a sudden, I was in the Bronx," Rice said. "I didn't even have time to think about it…The debut was awesome, getting the first hit out of the way, and my first game was definitely some moments that I'll never forget."
Congratulations, Ben! 🎉 https://t.co/SA0cXSZGsS
— Dartmouth Baseball (@BigGreenBasebal) June 19, 2024
Across the two minor league teams this season, Rice was batting .275 with 15 home runs. Having only played 11 games in Triple-A, Rice had a .333 batting average and a .619 slugging percentage.
In 37 games with the Yankees, Rice is hitting .200, having hit six doubles, seven home runs, knocking in 22 runs, and collecting 40 total bases.
Three of those home runs, seven of those RBI, and 12 of those bases came on July 6, a day that cemented Rice in Yankees history books, as he became the first Yankee's rookie in their 121-year history to hit three long balls in a game.
"It's insane. It's humbling in a way just because you know how many greats and legends have worn the pinstripes in the history of the organization. To have my name etched in history like that for that game is amazing," Rice said. "You never expect anything like that to happen. I mean, you never really go up there trying to hit homers either. I was just going up trying to make good decisions."
What a weekend for Ben Rice '22!
— Dartmouth Baseball (@BigGreenBasebal) July 8, 2024
Rice became the first rookie in Yankee's history to hit three home runs in a game, racking up 12 total bases and seven RBIs.
Did you miss history? Check out his three long balls now!#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/oKIVOQkZ3B
One of Rice's favorite memories at Dartmouth also featured a home run, a 21-inning bout with Penn, a game in which Rice hit his only home run as a member of the Big Green.
That's a start! Freshman Ben Rice crushes a pitch over the scoreboard for his first career home run! #DartBase trails 10-8 in B9, see if they can come all the way back on @IvyOnESPN: https://t.co/6nY3RsaKfZ pic.twitter.com/ZjILQDh4Cb
— Dartmouth Baseball (@BigGreenBasebal) April 6, 2019
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rice's time as a member of the Big Green was limited, but that did not stop him from being able to reflect on a positive experience that helped him get to the major leagues.
"You learn to handle yourself with balancing athletics and academics," Rice said. "[Dartmouth] helped me mature a lot while I was there and kind of prepare me for being on my own and navigating professional baseball, especially in the first year or two when it can feel like a little bit of a grind."
In addition to the time management and dedication picked up in Hanover, Rice secured the guidance of longtime Head Coach Bob Whalen.
"He got the most out of me and pushed me to get better as a young player," Rice said. "Even coming through sophomore and junior year when we didn't have our seasons, he was with me every step of the way and he supported all the decisions I made to continue my baseball career."
Whalen spoke just as highly of Rice, both as a high schooler and as a member of the Big Green. "A huge part of recruiting is projection…what's their ceiling look like? How much better can they get?" Whalen said. "Seeing him in the summer before his senior year, we knew that there was a good amount of projection. And I felt strongly that his ceiling was really high, that even though he was a really good player, we felt he could continue to get better."
While at Dartmouth, Whalen said Rice "never seemed stressed" because he possessed maturity. "It's fun to coach kids that want to be really good, because they're motivated to initially seek to understand what it takes to be successful at the level that they're playing at," Whalen said. "He always did great in school. He took it seriously because he was mature enough to know what he needed to do academically, so that when he needed to be down here, whether it's at morning conditioning, in the weight room, or at practice, he never felt like he was burning it at both ends."
One of seven Dartmouth student-athletes to make their major league debut since Whalen took over the program, he said Rice's success validates that it does not always matter where you go to school.
"You have to make sure that you're going somewhere where there are resources available from a facility standpoint, from many perspectives that will allow the players an opportunity to develop, both physically and in terms of skill development but in [baseball], if you have the ability to play at the next level, it doesn't matter as much," Whalen said. "If you come [to Dartmouth], you're not giving up a dream of playing at the highest level in your sport because it's Ivy League or because it's Dartmouth, you can do both…"
"These guys came here with the dream of pursuing excellence at both school and baseball, and they've been able to do both," Whalen said.
With people like Whalen, Yankees current bench coach and Dartmouth alum Brad Ausmus, and the rest of the Yankees staff in his corner, Rice has grown confidence that he is meant to be in the Bronx.
"When you come in as a rookie, especially with the New York Yankees of all teams, you just kind of hope you get welcomed with open arms, and you have the support of your coaches and teammates. And that's what I've had so far… It gives you more confidence that you can make an impact at this level."
Rice says confidence has gotten him this far, and his mentality and confidence in his approach will only continue to bring him success.
Head Coach Bob Whalen postgame vs. Brown, April 14, 2024
Sunday, April 14
Highlights: Dartmouth Plays of the Week, May 8, 2023
Monday, May 08
Highlights: Baseball vs. Cornell, May 7, 2023
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Highlights: Baseball vs. Cornell (game 2), May 6, 2023
Sunday, May 07
