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BOSTON — Ben Hess struck out 13.34 batters per nine innings in college, a University of Alabama record that showed he was one of a kind for the program.
That is how the new Yankees prospect likes it.
The right-hander grew up in Illinois idolizing the likes of organizational teammate Gerrit Cole, Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander, Hess said, but he didn’t quite model himself after anyone in particular.
He wants to be his own pitcher.
“Kind of taken different pieces from a bunch of different pitchers and made my own delivery, my own styles,” Hess said on a Zoom call Thursday, when he was introduced about a week after getting drafted.
The Yankees selected Hess with the 26th-overall pick in the draft, betting on a 6-foot-5, 255-pounder whom Yankees vice president of domestic amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer called “dynamite.”
The Yankees had been in touch with Hess for years, and Hess said he had made good relationships with some of the scouting staff.
“I had a good idea that they were high on me,” said Hess, who was not surprised he landed in pinstripes.
In picking Hess, the Yankees are placing a higher priority on raw stuff and build rather than college results.
He brings a fastball that touches 98 mph along with a curveball and slider, which Oppenheimer particularly praised, along with a changeup that Hess called a “priority.”
The 21-year-old is coming off a season in which his control issues (35 walks in 68 ¹/₃ innings) bloated an ERA that finished at 5.80, but he struck out 106.
“They see a lot of potential in me, and I see a lot of potential in myself as well,” said Hess, who began a run of seven straight pitchers selected by the Yankees in this month’s draft. “They see me as a starter, a guy who can mix pitches as well as throw a real power fastball. … That translates to a guy who can start.”
Hess probably would have been selected higher if he had not already dealt with injuries.
A right flexor strain limited him to seven games in 2023, but the Yankees like what they saw at the scouting combine.
“I’m in the best physical condition of my life,” Hess said.
Including Hess, the Yankees have signed 18 of their 20 picks ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline. Unsigned are fourth-round pick Gage Ziehl, a righty from the University of Florida, and 20th-round pick Cole Royer, a righty out of a Georgia high school.
Nick Burdi, sidelined since May 23 with right hip inflammation, joined Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a rehab assignment.
