“Great pick if you don’t look at his ERA”; “Worst draft already” - Yankees fans upset after selecting Ben Hess with No. 26 pick in MLB 2024 Draft

Fans reacted as the New York Yankees threw a curveball on the opening day of the 2024 MLB Draft by selecting right-handed pitcher Ben Hess as their first-round pick. Hess turned out to be the 26th overall pick in the draft on Sunday, although he was expected to be lower in the pecking order.

The New York Yankees had initially received the 16th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, but it was demoted 10 spots based on how much they had exceeded the luxury tax limit with their payroll.

As per MLB Pipeline, Ben Hess is 44th on their list of the top 100 prospects available at this year's draft. Undoubtedly, the Yankees front office believes there's untapped potential in Hess that their minor league coaches could develop in the future.

Fans, though, seem to have a valid reason for questioning the choice, as there were other highly rated position players available in the draft. As a result, they aren't entirely thrilled with the choice, and their discontentment was evident on social media.

"Great pick if you don’t look at his ERA," tweeted one Yankee fan.

"That ERA is um…yea. Lets hope he can develop," said another fan.

"Yay injury prone high era pitcher he’ll fit right in," another fan said.

"Worst draft already," another fan posted.

Some fans feel that the Yankees could have made another choice instead of Ben Hess.

"They must see some type of easy fix in his mechanics because there’s a lot of issues here," a fan said.

"Why not Tommy White?" one fan asked.

"Not taking Brody Brect will go down for years as the biggest miss," another fan tweeted.

Meanwhile, some supporters feel that the Yankees have wasted the draft by picking Ben Hess in the first round.

"And the losers of the draft goes to the nyy," tweeted one fan.

"How do you look at the bats left on the board, then decide on this?," another fan asked.

"This just adds more agony to an already bad Yankee day," said one fan.

Standing at six-foot-five and 225 pounds, Hess is a hard-throwing right-hander with a fastball in the upper 90s. His secondary pitch is the slider, while he also throws a curveball and a changeup. Experts feel he will become a major league pitcher, but there are concerns over his long-term health.

Moreover, Hess finished the 2024 season with a 5-5 record for the Alabama Crimson Tide, along with a 5.80 ERA, 1.390 WHIP and 1.7 home runs per nine innings. He recorded 106 strikeouts from 68.1 IP but also allowed 35 walks.

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Ben Hess has the ability to be a star for the Yankees in the future

Ben Hess was selected as the first round pick by the New York Yankees in the 2024 MLB Draft (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Despite the negativity surrounding his selection, Ben Hess may still prove all his doubters wrong and become a star on the mound for the Bronx Bombers.

The 21-year-old pitcher certainly has the stuff and he stayed healthy for the entire season in 2024 after ending up injured in his first years in college. Moreover, the Yankees have a good track record of developing pitchers under their pitching coach, Matt Blake.