Prospect success and advancement are critical within an organization. To start the year, the New York Yankees have seen some good and some bad within the prospect world. Tacked onto the positives is an outstanding outing by pitcher Ben Hess. The Yankees face some adversities that are spread out across the organization. The popular bats at the top of the top prospects list are off to a very slow start, meanwhile, the Yankees have two of their main starters on the sidelines.
To add to this mess, another starting pitcher just landed himself on the 15-day injured list: Marcus Stroman. The speedbumps prevail left, right, and center for the ball club, but the professional debut of Ben Hess was refreshing all around.
Ben Hess Debut in Professional Baseball is a Huge Positive for the Organization
Pitching live on a professional mound for the first time, Hess took the hill with the Yankees’ high-A affiliate, Hudson Valley. Hess faced the New York Mets affiliates, the Cyclones. Hess showed his dominance in a short outing.
In 4 and 2 / 3 innings of work, Hess allowed two hits, no earned runs, one walk, and nine strikeouts. The big right-hander is very aggressive when working in the strike zone and is not afraid to pound inside the zone.
He’s known to handcuff right-handed hitters, causing an unsuccessful check-swing, and or choked on the inside. The best word to describe Hess is “direct”.
His offerings don’t beat around the bush and are promising at eye level. Pitches look good to hitters out of the hand, but usually are elevated or darting up and out, or out and off the plate.
What Does the Prospect Offer?
Hess’ repertoire is led by his fastball, followed by a curveball, slider, and changeup. The fastball is gold for Hess, the command is above satisfactory, and he works confidently.
It ranges just past mid-90s, consistent between 93-96 mph, topping 99 mph.
He’s a live arm, and his fastball has bite and extension. Hess’s curveball is the next spoken-about pitch, which is his put-away pitch. It does not have much velocity or intensity to it, but it creates deception.
The hook works with tremendous break, with inches separating the levels, and is deceptive out of his arm slot. His slider is workable, and his changeup is a backup option.
Hess played his college baseball at Alabama for the Crimson Tide. He was drafted in the first round, 26th overall, by the Yankees in the 2024 MLB draft. Hess will be an arm that moves quickly throughout the organization.
His stuff is workable and has room to develop into something elite. The 6’5” right-hander works quickly and somewhat compares to the late Roy Halladay. Hess is ranked fourth on the Yankees top 30 prospects list.
He sits behind three positional players on that top prospects list: Jasson Dominguez, George Lombard Jr, and Spencer Jones. Dominguez is already in the majors, while Lombard Jr and Jones await their turn, Hess is the top pitching prospect currently for the Yankees.
Will Warren sits right behind him, who’s already in the majors. Hess could hold this spot with similar, consistent outings.
Main Photo Credits: Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK
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