New York also chooses Vanderbilt’s right-handed pitcher with their second pick on Day 1.
BALTIMORE — The Yankees have a tradition of targeting big, durable pitchers to lead their rotation, and Ben Hess fits that mold perfectly in the eyes of some scouts.
The Yankees picked the 21-year-old right-hander from the University of Alabama in the first round of Sunday’s MLB Draft with the 26th overall pick. They also chose right-hander Bryce Cunningham from Vanderbilt University with their 53rd overall pick.
Hess, a junior from Charleston, Illinois, has the potential to be a No. 2 starter. He holds the best K/9.0 inning ratio in Crimson Tide history (13.34, with 205 strikeouts in 138 1/3 innings).
The No. 26 pick has a slot value of $3,332,900, and the Yankees’ bonus pool is $8,134,500.
Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Draft’s No. 44 prospect, Hess has faced injury issues in high school and his first two collegiate seasons, including a right flexor strain that limited him to seven games in 2023. This led some to believe he might drop to the second round.
However, the Yankees were impressed with Hess’s performance as a junior, where he had a healthy season, going 5-5 with a 5.80 ERA, striking out 106 and walking 35 in 68 1/3 innings. His strikeout total was eighth in the SEC.
Round 1 | Pick 26: The New York Yankees select RHP Ben Hess out of Alabama.#MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/v86mXt3NeN
— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) July 15, 2024
“It’s easy when things go exactly the way you want. That’s what a lot of people think success looks like, but that’s not success,” Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn told the Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News earlier this season. “Sustained success is going through the muddy, dirty, hard stuff and coming out the other end because you just keep showing up and working, and that’s exactly what Ben has done.”
Throughout his college career, Hess posted a 12-6 record and a 4.81 ERA in 33 games (30 starts). He’s the first pitcher the Yankees have chosen with their top pick since Clarke Schmidt in 2017.
Hess is only the third Alabama player to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft, following Joe Vitiello (1991) and Taylor Tankersley (2004).
Often compared to Lance Lynn in terms of body type and pitching style, Hess’s primary weapon is a four-seam fastball that ranges from 92-96 mph and can hit 99 mph with movement and carry up in the strike zone.
His mid-80s slider with two-plane depth serves as his second plus pitch, and he can modify it into a harder, shorter cutter. He also has a mid-70s curveball for a different look, though scouts say he has lost confidence in a fading mid-80s changeup.
This marks the second year in a row that the Yankees have held the No. 26 overall pick; last year, they selected Florida high school infielder George Lombard, Jr., who is now playing at Single-A Tampa and is ranked as their No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Yanks add another right-hander in second round
Cunningham, 21, recorded a 7-4 record with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts during his junior year. Over 84 2/3 innings, he allowed 69 hits and 49 runs (41 earned), issued 34 walks, and struck out 96 batters. The slot value for the No. 53 pick is $1.72 million.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 230 pounds, Cunningham found success in the Cape Cod League, earning spots on two All-Star teams and winning two championships with Bourne. Scouts project him as a potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter.
The MLB Draft will continue on Monday with rounds 3-10.
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