Yankees prospect Ben Hess making a positive impression with his 'pitchability'

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Ben Hess hasn’t received the attention that top pitching prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange have this spring training.

But according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone and a handful of rival scouts, Hess shouldn’t be completely overshadowed.

“I think some people in the industry are sleeping on him a bit,” one National League talent evaluator said.

The 6-5, 255-pound Hess, the Yankees’ first-round pick in the 2024 draft, went 7-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset last season. He threw two scoreless innings Sunday in his second exhibition appearance, allowing one hit in a 5-3 victory over the Phillies.

“Really good. I think Carlos and even Elmer have gotten a lot of headlines, but Benny’s right there with them,” Boone said before Sunday’s game. “What’s impressed me about him is his pitchability. He’s behind the count, he can land a breaking ball. He’s got two different breaking balls that are really good pitches for him. He’s a big, physical guy, has the starter righty profile. I’ve been excited by what I’ve seen so far.”

Hess, 23, had a solid season overall last year in the minors. Multiple scouts assigned to the Yankees’ system noted the steady improvement he made from the beginning of the season until the end.

“Early in the year, he was throwing too many slow, loopy curveballs. He ditched that after the All-Star break and went to a harder breaking ball,” one rival American League scout said. “He became much more aggressive and pitched much more like a professional. He’s a big, strong guy, thick frame. Reminds me of [former big-leaguer] Lance Lynn. Needs more consistency, but for his first full season, it was good.”

Lagrange, whose fastball last season peaked at 103 mph, consistently has been clocked in the 100-mph range in spring training this year. Hess is not a power pitcher of that ilk.

“He’s that guy that’s going to log innings, knows how to pitch to stay in the game,” another NL scout said. “He knows what he’s doing and he can command his fastball. Every time I’ve seen him, he was able to locate, elevate, go in and out. There’s definitely plus pitchability there.”

A second AL scout, who saw Hess last season at both levels of the minor leagues, said his command, something many developing pitchers struggle with, hasn’t been an issue.

“Strike-throwing’s good,” the scout said. “I think the biggest thing is getting into his best stuff early in the game. For me, he’s right behind those other guys [Rodriguez and Lagrange]. And people don’t realize, he can pump it to 97. He’s just a thicker-body guy, a slower mover, and I think it surprises people and hitters . . . There’s a little bit of deception for me. His fastball gets on them fast.”

Hess, who said he was “super-excited” to get his first invite to big-league camp, spent much of last season working on his breaking ball and changeup. He said overall he’s been pleased with the stuff he’s shown in camp.

“Happy with the breaking balls, both with the sweeper and the curveball. Been throwing the sweeper quite a bit more because I’ve been facing a lot of right-handed batters,” Hess said. “But been happy with the stuff. Only threw one changeup today, but it was good. It was in the zone against a righthanded batter.”

Hess, who is likely to start this season in Double-A, said he’s been sure to take advantage of sharing a clubhouse with Max Fried, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, among others.

“I think I take a little bit from everybody,” he said. “So many great players in the clubhouse and all of them are great guys. They’re all willing to share what they know and what they’ve experienced. I think the best thing to do, that I’ve been doing, is just watching what they do. Obviously, they have great advice, but really what I’ve been paying attention to is their routines and what they’re doing day to day to get where they’re at.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.