The days of Juan Soto getting compared to Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani seem over. We have a new entrant in the house with Ben Rice. The Rookie is donning the No. 22 jersey for the Yankees, the same that Soto dons for the Mets. Well, as of now, that’s enough to heat the debate about who is the best #22 in New York!

While Rice is hitting like there’s no tomorrow this season, is it too early to conclude a rookie ahead of a veteran?

But the Bleacher Creatures seem not to be over the move yet! And they’re not leaving any chance to somehow get back at Soto or the Metsies.

Such a Yankee fan, CSmitty, took to their X handle to compare Rice and Soto, sparking debates between the arch-nemesis. And the post instantly went viral! The stats of both players offer some intriguing numbers that even the biggest Yankees fans would not have imagined.

This season, Rice scored 4 home runs till now, way ahead of Soto’s one homer. Moreover, Rice is ahead of Soto in terms of BA (.310-.265). OPS? Rice’s 1.121 is ahead of Soto’s .818. The only area where Rice is trailing Soto is the contract value! For Ben Rice – it’s $783,000.

The alleged betrayal of the Yankees’ star right fielder and setup man, Juan Soto, who accepted a record-breaking $765 million to transfer across town, left the Pinstripers in disbelief. It was then widely believed that the team’s offense would be hampered. However, all assumptions might have been premature. Seems like the Yankees got their answer with Rice this year.

But no matter what, this was a fun — and kind of spicy — comparison, especially with the way Rice is breaking out in 2025 and Soto’s massive leap to the Mets.

While both the fanbase are divided over who’s better, the Mets fans are more focused on the long-term, where Soto has the upper hand. Rice could become a fan-favorite and lineup staple, but for them, it’s very unlikely he will reach Soto’s Hall-of-Fame-level ceiling.

And the debate continues…

The fans are armed to decide New York’s new blue-eyed boy

While the Yankee fans are enthralled by how they got someone better than Soto this season, the Mets are yet to acknowledge the dominance. The X thread is getting heated up with bombs coming from both sides. Who got it better?

Undoubtedly, Rice is hitting better than Soto this year. But in the long term? One fan pointed out, “Talk to me at 100 games in,” meaning that these figures can be different after 100 games. Well, isn’t it too early to conclude a rookie is a better player than a 5x Silver-Slugger winner? Remember Soto’s slow start in 2023? He batted just .183/.345/.344 (98 OPS+) with four home runs in his first 27 games. But that season ended up with 35 homers, 109 RBIs, and 97 runs scored in 162 games. A Silver Slugger-worthy performance. So, probably waiting a while would be a good call there before concluding.

Why would the Yankees fans have all the fun? “Yankee fans are going to be crying for a lifetime that Soto picked the Mets over the Yankees,” read one comment. The Mets fan indicated that it is not about Ben Rice hitting better than Soto. Rather, it is a sense of betrayal among the Yankees fans towards Soto. Yes, many have expressed their disappointment and frustration following Juan Soto’s departure to the Mets. Moreover, in a symbolic gesture of their displeasure, some fans burned their Soto jerseys, signaling their rage! But now, only the following weeks can prove if the Bronx Bombers got a proper answer to Soto with Rice or if it is just hype and no substance.

Coincidentally, one Yankee enthusiast acknowledged that this comparison is too! It will take time for Rice to get to match Soto. Just last year, Soto finished with his career-high 41 homers. But this sensibility also didn’t forget the alleged betrayal, trying to point out how Soto got overpaid. Well, the only other star to have touched a $700 million contract is Shohei Ohtani. The only two-way player in MLB with MVP-worthy performance and the founder of the 50-50 club got the deal as deferred payment. But Soto, the right-handed slugger, similar to how Ohtani hits, is getting $765 million. Probably an imbalance. What do you feel?

While Rice will take time to reach Soto’s level, what’s wrong with molding him to be the best? Nothing. Rice showed a glimpse of what he is capable of. And he has the potential to even turn out to be an All-Star. If he keeps improving, he might even reach Matt Olson or Anthony Rizzo territory — power-hitting first basemen with real impact. However, Juan Soto’s level? That’s a tier only a few reach per generation — think Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuna Jr. Ngl, he might have to train a lot harder; but nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it. Isn’t it?

One fan replied to the viral post by quoting one of their previous uploads of both the players’ home runs (3 for Rice and 1 for Soto). The latter response read “People finally waking up.” Well, for this Yankee fan, the math was obvious on April 11 when they calculated the scores. But can data say it all? For the Yankees fans, it feels so as they are focusing more on the present. But now, it is yet to be seen if Rice can cater to this hype because any prediction right now seems to be very soon!

And we are sure that this debate will only get amplified once Soto gets back his form. The next few games would be worth watching to check which group gets the upper hand. Whose side are you on?