2024 MLB Draft: Yankees use first-round pick on Alabama RHP Ben Hess

Alabama right-handed pitcher Ben Hess was selected in the first round of the 2024 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, going to the New York Yankees with the 26th overall pick.

With his selection, Hess becomes the fifth first-rounder in Crimson Tide history. He is also the second-highest pick in program history, trailing only Joe Vitiello (No. 7).

Ben Hess (1st Round | 26th Overall | New York Yankees)
Pitcher, Junior

• A power arm who has flashed elite talent despite battling injuries during his time at Alabama
• Has appeared in 33 games (30 starts) across three years at the Capstone
• Owns a 12-6 career mark with a 4.81 ERA (74 ER/138.1 IP) and 205 strikeouts compared to 62 walks
• Currently holds the Alabama career record for strikeouts per 9.0 innings with 13.34 (205 K/138.1 IP)
• Made 15 starts for the Tide during the 2024 campaign, collecting a team-high five wins
• Finished with 106 strikeouts in his junior season, good for fifth on the Alabama single-season list
• Recorded 70 strikeouts in conference play to rank third among SEC arms
• Held a perfect 4-0 record across seven starts in his sophomore season, maintaining a 3.22 ERA (13 ER/36.1 IP) prior to being sidelined due to injury
• Served as the Tide’s primary midweek starter before moving to the bullpen in his freshman season
• Finished the year with a 3-1 record and a 4.54 ERA (17 ER/33.2 IP) in 11 appearances, including a lights-out effort against Georgia in the SEC Tournament
• Contributed 4.1 innings of scoreless relief against the Bulldogs, allowing just one hit and a walk to go with a season-high 10 punchouts
• Also performed in the classroom, earning a spot on the College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-District 4 Team in 2023 and 2024 to go with SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll recognition in ’23 and ‘24

Alabama in the MLB Draft

• Ben Hess is the fifth first-rounder in Alabama history, joining Joe Vitiello (7th), Taylor Tankersly (27th), Jeremy Brown (35th) and Tommy Hunter (54th)
• Hess becomes the highest-drafted pitcher in Tide history
• The Charleston, Ill., native is the 12th player selected by the Yankees out of Alabama
• With Hess’ selection, the Crimson Tide’s all-time draft pick total moved to 171 (160 players) since the event’s inception in 1966
• Alabama has had at least one player drafted for 46 consecutive years dating back to 1979
• The Tide has had one or more players selected in 53 of the 59 MLB Drafts overall
• UA has seen 65 players selected in the last 14 years with two more days remaining in this year’s draft
• Entering the final two days of the MLB Draft, a total of 100 players have been taken out of The University of Alabama in the last 24 drafts dating back to 2000
• Excluding the abbreviated 2020 MLB Draft, Alabama has had 16 pitchers taken in the last six drafts, including five in the top five rounds

The 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft began on Sunday, July 14, and will continue through Tuesday, July 16. The three-day event will be featured on MLB.com. Fans can also follow along with each pick at the site.

All players that have remaining eligibility are able to return to the University to continue their careers at Alabama if they elect to not sign a professional contract.

*** This information was acquired from a recent press release from Alabama Athletics. 

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