Yankees' Ben Hess: Surprise selection by Yankees

The Yankees have selected Hess with the 26th overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.

A righty from Alabama, Hess had some erratic results (5.80 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 106 strikeouts in 68.1 innings as a junior) and questionable medicals, so it was a surprise to see him come off the board this early. A big-bodied hurler (6-foot-5, 255 pounds), Hess sits in the mid-90s with his fastball (touches 99 mph) and sports a potentially plus slider and mixes in a curveball and a changeup. He had a stress fracture in his back in high school and had a flexor strain in 2023.