Dynasty: too close to call. Redraft: Sal Stewart. The FanRanked staff dynasty board has them nearly level, Rice #16 and Stewart #17, but the expert consensus has Stewart ahead (#24 to #27). The community leans Rice, FRV 77.1 to 67.9. For 2027 redraft, the consensus has Stewart ahead, #25 to #31, and Frank's 2027 projection agrees ($22.9 and $26.9).
JD on Ben Rice (Oct 2, 2026): Ben Rice had the season I expected him to have after the 2025 season, but not in the way I expected him to do it. He went from a statcast monster last year to just a statcast enjoyer, with a notable decrease in his bat speed and exit velocity: 2025: 73.4 mph / 93.3 Avg EV 2026: 72.6 mph / 91.9 Avg EV He had the 34th-largest bat speed decline of any player from last year to this year and I think there are basically two ways to interpret it. Either you think that he is starting to regress and this is a trend that you will continue to see until he no longer is the monster that he is today, or you think that he found his comfort zone and took a bit off to prioritize the right kind of contact instead of bat speed being the priority at the expense of the ideal outcome. As a Ben Rice truther, I actually think it's the latter. One of the frustrations with Rice last year was that the numbers didn't match the expected stats, and I think slightly changing his approach this year really helped him put up a career year. At the end of the day he's a left-handed hitter in Yankee Stadium in his prime, hitting directly in front of Aaron Judge a majority of the time. He's going to be incredibly valuable for the next couple of years and I wouldn't rule out him continuing to perform at a high level into his mid-30s.
JD on Sal Stewart (Oct 2, 2026): I'm really trying to hold my nose and ignore the weak September that Sal Stewart put up to end the season. He only had one home run while slashing .247/.287/.280, and I'm willing to chalk that up to him being beaten down by a full season of games, as well as a team that wasn't really competing for the playoffs at the end of the year. When he's on, you have a middle-of-the-order threat with a lot of power, manageable K rates, and no noticeable platoon deficiencies. The fact that he was doing this all as a 22-year-old makes it even more impressive. This ranking may be a tad aggressive, but I think September was an aberration for him and he is going to be a high-performing dynasty asset for a long time and he should only continue to improve as he starts to enter his prime.
Data as of . Consensus boards refresh daily; the staff board moves when it is republished.
| Metric | Ben Rice | Sal Stewart |
|---|---|---|
| Team | NYY | CIN |
| Position | 1B | 1B/3B |
| Age | 27 | 22 |
| Staff Dynasty Rank | #16 | #17 |
| Dynasty Consensus Rank | #27 | #24 |
| Redraft Consensus Rank | #31 | #25 |
| FRV (FanRanked Value) | 77.1 | 67.9 |
| Expert Sources | 15 | 15 |
| Dynasty Rank Range | #19–#43 | #5–#50 |
| 2027 Projected Value | $22.9 | $26.9 |
| 2026 $ Earned | $30.0 | $30.0 |
| 2027 Projected Rank | #29 | #18 |
| 30-Day Consensus Move | Up 1 spot | Down 2 spots |
| Stat | Ben Rice | Sal Stewart |
|---|---|---|
| PA | 667 | 700 |
| HR | 41 | 32 |
| R | 105 | 87 |
| RBI | 97 | 112 |
| SB | 3 | 15 |
| AVG | .264 | .263 |
| OBP | .363 | .330 |
| SLG | .534 | .457 |
| OPS | .897 | .787 |
| wOBA | .384 | .339 |
| xwOBA | .378 | .343 |
Price a Ben Rice-for-Sal Stewart trade in the Dynasty Trade Calculator · compare their 2027 dollars in the Roto & Redraft Trade Analyzer