Yanks sign top Draft picks Hess, Cunningham

NEW YORK – The Yankees envision Ben Hess developing into a front-line big league starting pitcher, and their first-round selection in this year’s MLB Draft is eager to make good on those projections.

Hess, a 21-year-old right-hander from the University of Alabama, agreed to a below-slot $2,747,500 bonus after being chosen by the Yankees with the 26th overall pick (slot value: $3,332,900).

"They see a lot of potential in me, and I see a lot of potential in myself as well," Hess said on Thursday. "I think they see me as a starter, a guy who can mix pitches as well as throw a power fastball. That translates to a guy who can start."

• Yankees 2024 Draft signings tracker

Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees' vice president of domestic amateur scouting, described Hess' repertoire as "three pitches that are just dynamite." Hess has been clocked up to 98 mph with his fastball, which he complements with a plus curveball, a plus slider and a developing changeup.

“When we can target guys that have two ‘now’ breaking balls with velocity, it gives us a chance to get ourselves a power starter,” Oppenheimer said.

A junior from Charleston, Ill., Hess posted the best K/9.0 inning ratio in Crimson Tide history (13.34, with 205 strikeouts in 138 1/3 innings).

"I think that I'm a competitor," Hess said. "I'm going to go out there and compete every time out, whether I've got my A-plus stuff or my F stuff. That's really something that I bring to the table and will help me see success moving through pro ball."

Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Draft’s No. 44 prospect, Hess dealt with injury concerns in high school and during his first two collegiate seasons, including a right flexor strain that limited him to seven games in 2023.

That prompted some to question whether he would fall to the second round. The Yankees liked what they saw from Hess as a junior, though. Coming off a healthy season in which he was 5-5 with a 5.80 ERA, striking out 106 against 35 walks in 68 1/3 innings, his strikeout total ranked eighth in the SEC.

“We saw him early in the year, and the stuff was dynamite at times,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said on MLB Network. “I think what they’re looking for here is a big, physical starting pitcher, and a guy that’s not afraid to compete.”

Over his college career, Hess posted a 12-6 record and a 4.81 ERA in 33 games (30 starts). He’s the first pitcher the Yankees have taken with their top pick since Clarke Schmidt in 2017.

The Yanks also agreed with right-hander Bryce Cunningham, who received a $2,297,500 bonus after being selected from Vanderbilt University with the 53rd overall pick (slot value: $1,721,200).

Cunningham, 21, was 7-4 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts as a junior, his first year as a full-time starter. In 84 2/3 innings, he held opponents to 69 hits and 49 runs (41 earned), with 34 walks and 96 strikeouts.

“We have some target things that we’re looking for, combined with what we’ve discussed with the pitching development people here [in Tampa, Fla.],” Oppenheimer said. “They seem to think that they can really enhance a guy, make his stuff a tick better, and make them real close to being in the big leagues.

“That’s actually kind of what happens: let’s target these things and see if we can get them. These are the kinds of guys that player development likes to have. It’s putting a round peg into a round hole.”

Other confirmed Yankees Draft signings within the top 10 rounds include:

Right-hander Thatcher Hurd (3rd round, LSU, $837,400), right-hander Greysen Carter (5th round, Vanderbilt, $440,100), left-hander Griffin Herring (6th round, LSU, $797,500), right-hander Wyatt Parliament (7th round, Virginia Tech, $199,350), outfielder Tyler Wilson (8th round, Grand Canyon University, $47,500), left-hander Tanner Bauman (9th round, Auburn, $37,500) and outfielder Joseph Delossantos (10th round, William & Mary, $7,500).