The New York Yankees selected Alabama pitcher Ben Hess with the 26th pick in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Sunday night.
The Yankees got a 6-foot-5 right-hander who projects as a big-league starter.
Hess is the earliest selection from Alabama in MLB’s summer draft since outfielder Joe Vitiello went No. 7 to the Kansas City Royals in 1991.
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The Charleston, Illinios, native owns the highest career strikeout rate in Alabama history at 13.3 per nine innings (with 205 strikeouts in 138.1 innings.)
In 2024, Hess posted a 5-5 record with a 5.80 earned-run average in 15 starts. In 68.1 innings, Hess struck out 106 and yielded 60 hits and 35 walks.
Hess earned third-team All-American recognition as selected by D1Baseball and Baseball America in 2024.
In three seasons with the Crimson Tide, Hess went 12-6 with a 4.81 ERA in 33 games, with 30 starts. In 138.1 innings, he yielded 111 hits and 62 walks.
Hess pitched in only seven games in 2023 because of a flexor strain.
Vitiello is the only player picked from Alabama earlier than Hess in Major League Baseball’s main summer draft. Crimson Tide catcher Randy Hunt was picked No. 2 by the St. Louis Cardinals in the June secondary draft in 1981, and pitcher Pete Roberts was picked No. 3 by the San Diego Padres in the June secondary draft in 1986. Alabama pitcher James Roberts was picked No. 19 by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the January draft in 1966, and pitcher Ken Stabler was picked No. 24 by the Houston Astros in the January draft in 1968. The June secondary draft and the January draft no longer exist.
The slot carries a signing-bonus value of $3,332,900.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.