Yankees’ World Series hero weighs in on red-hot Ben Rice: ‘He’s the real deal’ | Klapisch

He and Aaron Judge have combined for 21 home runs. Judge’s power should surprise no one. But Rice has blown past all expectations this year — and it’s more than just a temporary hot streak, according to Martinez.

“Man, his hands are really quick with a short stride,” Martinez said. “It seems like he’s locked and loaded every time he’s at the plate. I see a lot of power. Ben is strong. I mean, really strong. That’s why he has to be in the lineup.”

Even as a natural-born catcher with only average defensive skills at first base? Martinez and I both know manager Aaron Boone is already all-in with Rice. That’s true on both sides of the ball. But Martinez sees improvement in Rice’s defense that could further limit Goldschmidt’s playing time.

“Ben’s got good hands, he’s got a good arm, now it’s just a matter of letting him go out there,” Martinez said. “It’s like anything else in baseball. The more you’re out there, the more you learn. You start to make better decisions.

“For instance, whether to try to turn the double play on a slow hit ball. Or whether to make the stretch or come off the base when you know the runner is probably going to be safe. Those are the little ways you save the team runs. But overall, Ben’s going to be fine.”

Martinez watches most Yankees games on TV, and he was a guest instructor during spring training. Martinez was actually at Yankee Stadium last weekend, although in a distinctly non-traditional role.

Martinez was the celebrity guest of the Savannah Bananas, who played to sold-out crowds of 50,000 on Friday and Sunday. Martinez was supposed to appear with the Bananas in 2025, but had to cancel when one of his pregnant daughters went into early labor.

“I told them, ‘let’s try again (in 2026),’ so we agreed on (last) weekend,” Martinez said. “But my other daughter, who was pregnant, also went into labor just as I was about to come to New York.”

Martinez laughed and said, “What were the odds of that? I mean, how could I tell Jesse (owner Cole) both my daughters had gone into labor two years in a row, just as I was about to play for the Bananas? He would’ve thought I was lying.

“So I got on the plane Sunday morning, and went right to the Stadium.”

Martinez hadn’t competitively batted since his retirement in 2005. Stepping into the batter’s box in the sixth inning while wearing his yellow uniform, Martinez quickly realized this would be more challenging than facing David Cone or Andy Pettitte lobbing the ball during Old Timers’ Day.

Martinez swung and missed on three legitimate fastballs.

“I really wanted to put the ball in play for the fans,” he said. “The players were great to me, very friendly. A lot of them said, ‘I was a fan of yours growing up.’ It would’ve nice to drive the ball somewhere. But the guy I was facing was probably throwing around 90 (mph). And it was 4:30 in the afternoon. The shadows were so bad I literally couldn’t see the ball.”

“But I had a great time. The Bananas put on a great show. It’s fun for families and kids.”

It was a learning experience for a 58-year-old former World Series hero who realized those precious Octobers were indeed a lifetime ago.

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BOB KLAPISCH

“I remember what it was like being 27-28, playing for the Yankees with all that power, being at the top of my game. But the body and abilities aren’t there anymore. Age takes over. I swung at three pitches and didn’t even come close.”

Martinez laughed one more time.

“I walked back to the dugout thinking, ‘how did I ever hit pitches that fast?’“

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