Yankees Rising Star Makes Surprising Revelation About Stunning Breakout

"The swing itself I wouldn't say feels all that different," Rice said. "I would just say the approach has been a little stronger, a little more conviction in what I'm doing and just always having a plan."

Whatever Rice is doing, it's obviously working.

The 26-year-old has crushed the ball in the early going, making much harder contact than last year. According to Statcast, his average exit velocity is up from 90.0 mph to 96.1 mph, his barrel rate has risen from 15.6% to 25.0% and his hard-hit rate has soared from 36.7% to 66.7%.

Rice's improved approach has allowed him to be more discerning at the plate and wait for his pitch, then do damage when he gets it. His plate discipline has drastically improved as well, with his walk rate going from 11.2% to 16.7% and his strikeout rate dropping from 27.0% to 23.3%.

He also added 10 to 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason, which seems to be helping him hit the ball farther this year.

Either way, all of Rice's peripherals and advanced stats suggest his breakout is for real. He's hitting the ball harder and showing signs of maturing as a hitter, so his early hot streak doesn't seem to be a byproduct of good luck. He's clearly more comfortable and confident in the batter's box.

Rice has helped carry New York's offense in the early going, causing Aaron Boone to start hitting him leadoff in front of Aaron Judge. With his power and ability to work walks, he's providing a major spark at the top of the order and helping replace Juan Soto's lost production.

He'll cool off a bit eventually, but his overnight transformation into an All-Star-caliber hitter has been extremely impressive to watch. He'll need to keep it up if the first-place Yankees want to maintain their lead in the AL East.