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Pirates recently sent right-handed pitcher JT to the New York Yankees, along with $500K of international bonus pool money, in
exchange for a player to be named later. It’s been a few days since this trade, and the has yet to be named. According to Ben , “We think we will get access to a good player
from the Yankees.” That’s pretty vague, and obviously, no front office is going to show their hand, but let’s speculate who the potential prospect the Pirates could get is.
The Pirates have the opportunity to get a future first base option in this deal. A former 12th-round draft pick, Ben Rice has developed into one of the team’s better prospects. Last season between the
Yankees’ High-A and Double-A affiliates, Rice slashed .324/.434/.615 through 332 plate appearances. Rice provided a ton of pop with 20 home runs and a .291 isolated slugging percentage. He did not strikeout
much with an 18.7 percent strikeout rate and paired that with an equally strong 13.3 percent walk rate. When everything was said and done, Rice had a .462 wOBA and 183
Rice was one of the best hitters in the minor leagues last year. Among all hitters with 300+ plate appearances, he ranked first in +, second in wOBA, fifth in OPS, sixth in slugging percentage, and 11th in on-base percentage. He was also tied with Kyle Showers, one of the Baltimore Orioles’ top prospects, for the 9th-best isolated slugging percentage. Rice was one of just seven players with an ISO over .250 and K rate below 20 percent.
