The 2026 American League MVP finalists have been announced, and New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice missed the cut. The Yankees slugger was snubbed for Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, and Tampa Bay Rays star Junior Caminero. The winner will be announced on November 12.
Rice had a strong season and was considered a potential outside candidate for the final three. In 154 games, Rice batted .264/.363/.534 with 41 home runs, 97 RBIs and 85 walks. Apart from Rice, Yankees ace Cam Schlittler also missed out on being named one of the AL MVP finalists. In comparison, the Royals star batted .281 with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in 143 games played.
Yankees fans reacted to the AL MVP finalists announcement, with neither New York player earning the favor.
"Bobby Witt over Ben Rice, this list is so unserious 😂," one fan wrote.
Here are more reactions:
Witt's offensive production was nowhere near his standout season in 2024, when he finished behind Yankees captain Aaron Judge in the voting. However, his excellent defense at shortstop might have secured him another top-three finish in MVP voting.
The Yankees suffered a disappointing postseason exit by getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. There were not a lot of positives, but one Yankees slugger stood tall.
Ben Rice finished the 2026 postseason with four home runs, nine RBIs, and a 1.605 OPS across five games. He homered twice in AL Wild Card Game 1 against the Boston Red Sox and repeated the feat in Game 2 of the ALDS against Tampa Bay. The first baseman became the first player in Yankees history to record two multihomer games in a single postseason.
According to baseball analyst Paul Hembekides (via Athlon Sports ), Rice recorded 21 of the Yankees' 61 total bases during the postseason, accounting for 34% of the team's total and the highest share by any individual whose team played at least five games in a single postseason.
Rice was very blunt in his reaction to the Yankees' postseason elimination.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's a failure since we weren't able to get the job done," Rice said, as per MLB.com . "It's on to next year, unfortunately. … They outplayed us, plain and simple. They outpitched us, outhit us. It's really that simple."
Rice will hope to carry this momentum into next season, where the Yankees will hope to finally win their first World Series since 2009.
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