This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
TAMPA, Fla. -- “Stay down!”
Every time Ben Rice sees a ball chopped toward first base, he hears those words in his head, Paul Goldschmidt’s advice practically written in Sharpie marker.
“We always joke about it now,” Rice said. “You see it hop up high and the next thing you know, it might take a weird bounce and go beneath you. In practice or in games, as soon as I see that first high hop, I’m just thinking of his voice telling me, ‘Stay down. Stay down!’”
That safeguard was one of the first lessons Goldschmidt -- a four-time Gold Glove Award winner -- shared with Rice last season. It won’t be the last.
When Goldschmidt signed a one-year, $4 million deal earlier this month, it didn’t just add an experienced right-handed bat to the bench. The move restored a mentor as Rice continues to learn the finer points of playing first base.
“He’s been awesome,” Rice said. “Just knowing the career he’s had and how long he’s been around the game, he’s just been such a great teammate and source of information for me.”
Whether it’s footwork, positioning or picking throws out of the dirt, Rice -- who turns 27 later this month -- said there is plenty to absorb.
“People view first base as ‘just stand over there and catch it,’” Rice said. “There’s a lot that goes into it. Where you’ve got to be on the field, the way your glove moves, the way your feet work on different plays and situations -- Goldy pays attention to all of the small things, and I think that comes out in the conversations we have.”
There are times, manager Aaron Boone says, when he must remind himself that Rice is still new to the position. Drafted as a catcher, Rice had never played first base before 2024, yet he has received most of his big league time there.
“When you look at it that way, I thought he did a pretty good job over there last year,” Boone said. “Because of who Goldy is and how selfless he is, he was able to pour a lot into Ben over there last year, just learning the different nuances of the position. Experience teaches you.”
Goldschmidt opened last season as the starter, with Rice as his understudy. The roles have flipped. Rice is expected to garner most of the starts, with Goldschmidt playing primarily against left-handed pitchers and as a late-inning defensive replacement.
The 38-year-old Goldschmidt says he’s eager to help however he can, including continuing to mentor Rice, whom he believes can become an All-Star.
“Thinking back to early in my career, the more experience you get over there, the better you get,” Goldschmidt said. “We were working last year a lot over there, taking grounders around the bag. Hopefully he’ll continue to improve and get better at all facets of the game. He’s a very smart player, and a very hungry, hard worker. He definitely has the potential to do great things.”
Goldschmidt’s return also reshaped Boone’s plans for Rice. Without Goldschmidt, Rice was viewed as the third catcher behind Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra. Now, Boone says Rice may catch against some tough lefties this season, a way to keep his bat in the lineup when Goldschmidt starts at first.
That could make for long days this spring and beyond. Rice is accustomed to the workload. Even in the first half of last season, he often caught bullpens and sat in scouting meetings during the afternoon before playing first base at night.
“It’s a balancing act,” Rice said. “I’ve just got to make sure I’m doing enough to stay sharp and get better, but not doing too much to the point where I’m dragging my feet out there at 7 o’clock. Whenever I’m penciled in at one or the other, I’ll just be ready for it.”