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Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50 

Illinois' top high school prospect in 2021, Hess turned down overtures from pro teams in order to attend Alabama. The Crimson Tide produced just two first-round picks (Joe Vitiello, Taylor Tankersley) in the first 59 Drafts, but Hess has the stuff to become the third. He has stayed healthy this spring after missing time in each of his first two college seasons, though his control has regressed and probably will knock him out of the top 30 picks.

Hess' best offering is a four-seam fastball that sits at 92-96 mph and reaches 99 with run and carry up in the strike zone. His mid-80s slider with two-plane depth gives him a second plus offering and he can turn it into a shorter, harder cutter. He also can employ an average mid-70s curveball to give batters a different look but has lost faith in a fading mid-80s changeup that showed flashes of becoming a solid offering in the past.

Built along the lines of Lance Lynn at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Hess posted a 49/8 K/BB ratio in 36 1/3 innings as a sophomore before his walk rate nearly tripled this year. His strong frame and clean delivery should lend themselves to durability, but he repeatedly has had health issues that included a stress fracture in his back in high school and a flexor strain in 2023. He has the upside of a No. 2 starter but will need to throw more strikes to reach it.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45 | Overall: 50

Illinois' top prep prospect in 2021, Hess turned down overtures from pro teams in order to attend Alabama. He missed time in each of his first two college seasons but stayed healthy in 2024, when he logged a 5.80 ERA but struck out 106 in 68 1/3 innings. His stuff made him the third first-rounder in Crimson Tide history after Joe Vitiello and Taylor Tankersley, and he signed for $2,747,500 as the 26th overall selection

Hess' best offering is a four-seam fastball that sits at 92-96 mph and reaches 99 with a flat approach angle and plenty of extension that make it even tougher to hit. His curveball parks in the mid-70s but ranked among the best in college baseball in terms of in-zone and overall swings and misses as well as chases, fooling hitters with its combination of depth and sweep coming out of a low arm slot. His mid-80s slider features two-plane depth at its best but was less sharp in 2024, and he has lost faith in a fading mid-80s changeup that showed flashes of becoming a solid offering in the past.

Built along the lines of Lance Lynn at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Hess has a strong frame and clean delivery that should lend themselves to consistent strikes and durability. Yet his control regressed this spring, and he repeatedly has had health issues that included a stress fracture in his back in high school and a flexor strain in 2023. He has the upside of a No. 2 starter but will need to do recapture the slider and control he showed as a sophomore to reach it.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/05/2024	RHP Ben Hess assigned to FCL Yankees.
	07/22/2024	New York Yankees signed RHP Ben Hess.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated RHP Ben Hess.