With the No. 26 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, the Yankees selected Alabama RHP Ben Hess.
Hess owns the program record for strikeouts per nine innings with 13.34 at a ratio of 205 strikeouts in 138.1 IP.
The 6-foot-5, 255-pounder from Charleston, Ill., was 12-6 with a 4.81 ERA in 138.1 IP over 33 games (30 starts) from 2022-24.
As a junior with the Crimson Tide during the 2024 season, Hess went 5-5 while pitching to a 5.80 ERA in 68.1 IP over 15 starts. He rounded out his production with 106 strikeouts against 35 walks.
His sophomore season, the 2023 campaign, saw him go 4-0 with a 3.22 ERA while striking out 49 and walking eight in 36.1 IP through seven starts.
Hess debuted as a freshman with a 4.54 ERA in 33.2 IP across 11 games (eight starts). He capped his first spring by striking out 50 and walking 19.