Years of BP with dad have Rice feeling ready for Home Run Derby debut

ST. PETERSBURG – For years, whenever Ben Rice needed batting practice, he knew exactly whom to call.

On chain-link fields across Massachusetts, Dan Rice would pile out of his car carrying a bucket of baseballs, meeting his son at a distance of 60 feet and 6 inches. It was a familiar routine that worked, allowing them to spend time together while fine-tuning swings for game action.

So when Rice accepted an invitation this week to represent the Yankees in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, his father excitedly began his usual stretching exercises at home. This will be unlike any of the previous sessions that preceded summer league games and Cape Cod League contests.

“My dad has always been there for me,” Rice told MLB.com on Tuesday. “Every offseason, I’m going back and making sure I get my BP in with my dad. He always went the extra mile; he’d drive an hour-plus or two hours from Cohasset, and we’d go hit at a local field to get our swings in for the day.”

So Rice believes he has a good idea of what to expect when he steps into the batter’s box for the Derby, to be held Monday at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park at 8 p.m. ET live on Netflix.

Dan Rice was a pitcher on Brown University’s baseball team in the 1980s, returning to the mound decades later to groove fastballs and curves to his son. As Ben Rice said, “His lifetime pitch count is through the roof at this point.”

“Our BP was never about nitpicking my swing or a lot of instruction, to be honest,” Rice said. “He would try to throw me off-balance with different pitches and have me work through situations. He wanted me to become a good hitter, not necessarily to have a great swing. That was huge in my development.”

The Yankees’ team leader with 25 home runs entering Tuesday night’s game against the Rays, the 27-year-old Rice has become a staple in the Bombers’ lineup, belting 58 homers over his first three seasons in the Majors.

Rice introduced himself to the game’s oldest rivalry by hitting three homers against the Red Sox in a July 2024 contest, becoming the first Yankees rookie ever to enjoy a three-homer game.

He also has a little experience with home run-hitting competitions. Rice said that in his 2020 summer league, games switched to a Derby competition if tied after 10 innings. He did it three times then, and now Rice will test that stroke in the Derby.

“I just want to enjoy it, having fun taking BP with my dad at a big league field in front of a bunch of people,” Rice said.

The Yankees have experienced mixed results in the Derby over the years. Jazz Chisholm Jr. entered last season but was eliminated in the first round.

Chisholm was the Yanks’ first entry since 2017, when Aaron Judge won the competition in Miami. Gary Sánchez also participated in ‘17. Four Yankees have won the Home Run Derby: Tino Martinez (1997), Jason Giambi (2002), Robinson Canó (‘11) and Judge (2017).

“I’m super excited for him,” manager Aaron Boone said. “There’s that father-son baseball component to it that hopefully is a lot of fun and meaningful to the entire Rice family. Hopefully he goes there and does well, and it’ll be a springboard for him into the second half.”

Rice said that as the Yankees traveled to Tampa on Sunday, he and Judge reviewed video of the captain’s 2017 triumph.

“I’m just hoping to soak it all in,” Rice said. “That’s the advice that the guys who have been there have been telling me; just really enjoy it. Try to talk to as many guys as you can, enjoy the whole experience and cherish every moment.”