> [Rice] has added over 3 1/2 mph of bat speed from 2024 to 2025, one of the largest gains of any hitter so far.
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> Last season, less than 15% of Rice’s swings were 75 mph or faster. This season, over 48% of his swings have reached the fast-swing threshold.
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> when a hitter combines a fast swing with squared-up contact on the sweet spot of the bat, a stat called “blasts.” Rice has recorded a blast on almost a quarter of his swings so far in 2025, a top-10 blast rate for hitters with as many swings as he has.
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> His average exit velocity entering the Yankees’ series opener against the Pirates on Friday is 100.5 mph — the best in the Majors, just ahead of Aaron Judge.
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This pleases this stat-head
Ben ~~Rice~~ Rakes
This feels promising. He had all of the tools and I’m glad he fixed some stuff and made it work in the off season. The second he gets more consistency against lefties, he’s gonna be a force. Excited to see more of the kid and enter into the rice-age
4 comments
Big takeaways from the article:
> [Rice] has added over 3 1/2 mph of bat speed from 2024 to 2025, one of the largest gains of any hitter so far.
—
> Last season, less than 15% of Rice’s swings were 75 mph or faster. This season, over 48% of his swings have reached the fast-swing threshold.
—
> when a hitter combines a fast swing with squared-up contact on the sweet spot of the bat, a stat called “blasts.” Rice has recorded a blast on almost a quarter of his swings so far in 2025, a top-10 blast rate for hitters with as many swings as he has.
—
> His average exit velocity entering the Yankees’ series opener against the Pirates on Friday is 100.5 mph — the best in the Majors, just ahead of Aaron Judge.
—
This pleases this stat-head
Ben ~~Rice~~ Rakes
This feels promising. He had all of the tools and I’m glad he fixed some stuff and made it work in the off season. The second he gets more consistency against lefties, he’s gonna be a force. Excited to see more of the kid and enter into the rice-age