New York Yankees Star Pitching Prospect Off to Elite Start in Minor Leagues

Ben Hess was on every Major League team’s radar going into the 2024 MLB draft after a solid junior season with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Even before last season started, he was ranked D1Baseball.com's No. 28 college prospect. Every team did their due diligence on the right-hander.

The New York Yankees ended up selecting him in the first round, No. 26 overall, and it’s already starting to look like a good pick.

Baseball America recently put the spotlight on 18 prospects with the idea of determining how much to read into their numbers as the minor leagues season closes in on the end of its first month.

Hess, who is pitching at High-A Hudson Valley, fell under the category of “Ready for a New Level?”

It’s a valid question. The 22-year-old right-hander has been lights out in his two starts with the Renegades. He is 1-0 and hasn’t allowed a run in two starts. He has struck out 18 and walked three in 9.2 innings. Batters are hitting just .147 against him.

Baseball America scouts point out that because Hess is 6-foot-5 his mid-90s fastball has plenty of extension. He also has a change-up and curveball, both of which are emerging.

The early returns are positive for a pitcher that didn’t throw in the minors last season after his draft selection, the publication wrote.

“If the strike-throwing holds, he could soon be ready for the upper minors,” per Baseball America.

The Yankees knew they were getting a well-respected prospect in Hess, who exited Alabama with the program’s career record for strikeouts per 9.0 innings with 13.34, or 205 strikeouts in 138.1 innings pitched. That included 106 strikeouts in his junior season in 2024, which put him fifth on the Crimson Tide’s single-season list.

Last year he went 5-5 in 15 starts with a 5.80 ERA, as he gave up 44 earned runs in 68.1 innings. Along with the 106 strikeouts, he only issued 35 walks.

His 106 strikeouts were eighth in the SEC. His 60 hits allowed was tied for fifth fewest in the conference. Batters hit just .234 against him.

He was limited by injury in 2023, but he still went 4-0 in seven starts with a 3.22 ERA. He allowed just 13 earned runs in 36.1 innings, as he struck out 49. Batters hit just .215 against him.

Hess earned his way into the weekend rotation after a freshman season in 2022 in which he was Alabama’s mid-week starter. He went 3-1 with a 4.54 ERA in 11 games, eight of which were starts. He struck out 50 and held batters to a .192 average.