In the 2024 MLB Draft, the Yankees used their first round pick on pitcher Ben Hess out of the University of Alabama. In that previous college season, Hess had posted a 5.80 ERA in 68.1 innings, which might not necessarily scream being the 26th overall pick. However, any draft/prospect people at the time would’ve been saying not to worry about that too much. For one, he struck out over 10 batters per nine innings every season in college, showing he had the raw “stuff.” Beyond just pitchers developing
a good amount in the minor leagues beyond any development they do in high school and college, college baseball in particular can be a bit wild with offense.
Flash forward a year and a half with Hess now having spent parts of two seasons in the Yankees’ system, and you can see why that’s the case. Debuting in real games in 2025, he’s been good to very good at every minor league level he’s played at, and he also continues to strike out a boatload of batters. Now as we head into the 2026 season, how high might Hess be able to climb this year.
2025 Statistics (in High-A and Double-A): 22 games, 103.1 innings pitched, 3.22 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 2.94 xFIP, 85 ERA-, 139 K, 33.0 K%, 10.9 BB%, 0.26 HR/9, 1.07 WHIP
So far in spring training, Hess has impressed in a handful of innings in MLB spring games. In five innings, he’s posted a 1.80 ERA and has struck out six batters compared to two walks. You can read more about that and a greater look at his repertoire here, as we’re focusing more on his upcoming season in general. The Yankees have already reassigned him to minor league camp, but considering that he’s only reached as high as Double-A and the team has a lot of competition in the starting pitching department, that’s not a surprise nor a setback for him.
Just as one example, MLB Pipeline lists Hess’ major league ETA at 2027. That feels somewhat more realistic than 2026. With a full rotation already and the likes of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and maybe Clarke Schmidt returning at some point this year, the Yankees hopefully won’t have a massive need for starters, at least.
That being said, it’s also not impossible that a good season could get him a cameo this year. You’d imagine he’ll start the year at Double-A, having thrown 36.2 innings there last year. If he repeats his success there, it seems likely that they’d move him up to Triple-A, and at that point a player is right on the cusp. It doesn’t seem far-fetched that we could see him get some innings out of the bullpen as a September call-up or something like that, should he continue his upward trajectory. Getting up as a starter seems a little difficult, but then again, we would’ve been saying that about Cam Schlittler last year, so who knows.
On the other hand, unless the rotation suffers catastrophic injuries, there’s also no rush. Hess had progressed pretty nicely so far. Even when taking into account that college pitches can sometimes move through the minors a little faster, making it up to and having good results at Double-A in your first full year in the system is pretty impressive. Let’s hope we’re saying similar things about Hess following the 2026 season.
See more of the Yankees Previews series here.
