Did the New York Yankees strikeout while selecting Ben Hess in the MLB Draft?

On Sunday, the New York Yankees selected right-handed pitcher Ben Hess as their first-round pick of the 2024 MLB Draft. The choice did not sit particularly well with Yankees fans, as the 21-year-old was not among the most highly ranked prospects that were still up for grabs.

According to the scouting experts, Ben Hess has a high ceiling for his abilities, but he showed some concerning frailties in his final year at college. This is why it was a surprise when the Yankees front office opted to pick him in the first round of this year's draft. Hess was ranked 44th by MLB Pipeline among the top 100 prospects at the 2024 draft.

Ben Hess has a powerful six-foot-five, 225-pound body frame that allows him to deliver a fastball in the high 90's with run and carry. He mixes it up with a slider in the mid-80s to generate the whiffs for his high strikeout percentage. He also has a curveball and a changeup in his arsenal, but experts feel those pitches will need some tinkering for them to be effective in the major leagues.

In 2023, Ben Hess posted a 4-0 record with a 3.22 ERA for the Alabama Crimson Tide in NCAA Division I, although he pitched just 36.1 innings in 7 starts after succumbing to injury. This year, he stayed healthy for the entire campaign, making 15 starts, but the higher number of games has only highlighted further issues.

Hess ended 2024 on a 5-5 record with a 5.80 ERA, 1.390 WHIP, and 1.7 home runs per nine innings. This has raised serious doubts about his ability to perform consistently at a high level over an extended period of time. However, Ben Hess also had an outstanding strikeout rate of 14.0 per nine IP and finished with the all-time record in that category for Alabama.

“We saw him early in the year, and the stuff was dynamite at times. I think what they’re looking for here is a big, physical starting pitcher, and a guy that’s not afraid to compete,” said Tennessee coach Tony Vitiello on MLB Network.

Evidently, the New York Yankees front office has decided to look past the high ERA and walk rate and focus solely on the astonishing strikeout rate of Ben Hess. Although there is every chance for him to become a major league pitcher in the future, it can be argued that the Yankees have taken a massive gamble by picking Hess over the position players ranked above him that were still available.

Ben Hess checks off a lot of things for us: Dan Oppenheimer

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

So far, the selection of Ben Hess as the first-round pick for the New York Yankees has not been met with massive approval from the fans. Nevertheless, Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees’ vice president of domestic amateur scouting, is convinced that they have made the right choice for the franchise.

“Ben checks off a lot of things for us. He fits what we are looking for in a potential top-of-the-line Major League starter. Specifically, he’s a big, powerful right-hander that can throw two breaking balls and can reach up to 97 [mph]. We think there is even more to come from Ben with our player development program,” Oppenheimer said.

Meanwhile, the Bronx Bombers also landed another tall, right-handed pitcher later on Sunday. 21-year-old Bryce Cunningham was drafted in the second round by the 27-time World Series champions as the 53rd overall pick.