Right-handed starting pitcher Ben Hess from Illinois has become the first selection of the MLB draft in the Rob Vaughn era. The New York Yankees chose Hess with the 26th overall pick on Sunday night, making him a first-round selection.
The talented right-hander features a fastball that reaches up to 98 miles per hour, earning him the nickname “Heater”. Hess recently completed his junior season at Alabama, where he spent much of the season as the ace of the pitching staff. His last collegiate start on June 1st against Stetson marked his NCAA tournament debut.
Standing at 6’5″, 21 years old, and weighing 255 pounds, Hess finally reached that postseason start after overcoming a series of injury setbacks during his career at Capstone. He had a delayed start in his freshman year in 2022, but even then, the coaching staff recognized him as a prospect with a bright future. That year, he caught attention by striking out 10 batters in an SEC Tournament appearance against Georgia. In 2023, his season was interrupted early in conference play; by then, he had a record of 4-0, 49 strikeouts, and a 3.22 ERA in seven starts.
Prepared for a standout year in 2024, Ben Hess had a strong start to the season, including an appearance on the Frisco Classic All-Tournament team after striking out 10 batters in five innings against Indiana. Despite some ups and downs in the league, he finished the season with a 5.80 ERA but still struck out the third-most batters in the SEC (70) and led the team in both wins and strikeouts (106).
Videos of Hess:
The Yankees are selecting right-handed pitcher Ben Hess out of Alabama at 26.
He struck out 106 batters across 68.1 IP this past season.
pic.twitter.com/lGnO21cXF2— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) July 15, 2024
The prestigious New York Yankees organization liked what they saw and officially made him the first draft selection since Vaughn took over as head coach. The Illinois native, whose collegiate ERA stands just over 4.8, will now take his next steps under the watchful eye of the team with the most World Series titles in baseball history. He is Alabama’s first pitcher selected since last year when three of his former teammates heard their names called, and the fifth first-round selection in program history.
