4 Yankees draft picks from 2024 who already look like huge steals

The New York Yankees doubled, tripled, quadrupled, and quintupled down on pitching in last year's draft class, mining several unexpected areas to add to their backlog. And, while it may be too soon to perma-judge some of the bold moves they made, the early returns have made it pretty clear that the Yankees knew more than most draft heads last summer.

The Yankees' first seven picks were all collegiate pitchers (and they've unfortunately already lost one of them for the season in LSU's Thatcher Hurd). That means, despite some unpleasant-to-look-at numbers from their pre-draft seasons, the Yankees believed they had the tools to unlock a high number of them very quickly.

College arms typically rise quickly through systems once they click, and a few of the Yankees' choices are already threatening to move up the ladder (and yes, despite focusing on arms, they might've snuck an offensive draft steal into the mix, too).

4 Yankees draft picks from 2024 who already look like steals

Ben Hess, RHP

While Hess' most recent two starts haven't been quite as dominant as his unveiling — he was hit with a bizarro world 5 innings/2 hits/2 walks/8 Ks/4 earned runs on a two-out, bases-clearing double the other day to raise his ERA to 4.42 — it's been immediately obvious that his strikeout stuff has translated, and that he has the potential to be upper-crust dominant in the professional ranks.

Hess posted a 5.80 ERA his junior year at Alabama, which may have scared teams off and obscured his 13.34 strikeouts per nine innings. At the time of his selection with the 26th overall pick, most analysts were confused. Was he a starter? A reliever? Couldn't the Yankees have gone with more of a certainty so high in the draft?

No matter what outsiders think of him, the right-hander envisions himself as an ace, claiming, "I think top of the rotation starter [is my ceiling]. If you don't say that about yourself and you're a starter, there's something wrong." It's been tough to argue with Hess' pie-in-the-sky motivation thus far.

Bryce Cunningham, RHP

27 selections after nabbing Hess, the Yankees mined Vanderbilt's ample talent pool for right-hander Bryce Cunningham, who also exited college with some tough-to-parse stats (6.43 ERA in 2023, 4.36 in 16 starts last year).

So far, he looks a ton more polished in pro ball.

If Hess is the fire breather, then Cunningham might just be the solid righty who fades into the background slightly while compiling excellent and efficient numbers, and that'd be fine with him. His first four starts have gone swimmingly with High-A Hudson Valley, as he's posted a 3-1 record with a 2.63 ERA, striking out 30 in 24 frames without the boom and bust. He's limited base runners as well, sporting a sparkling 0.96 ERA. As Cam Schlittler and Brendan Beck threaten for promotion to Triple-A, Cunningham could get an unexpected early look at Somerset if he keeps this up.

Griffin Herring, LHP

The Yankees' sixth-round pick has landed a level below their top two selections to begin his professional career, but Griffin Herring's numbers have perhaps been the most sparkling of anyone down in Tampa.

The LSU left-hander — still just 21 years old — has begun his time in the organization with a 3-0 record and 0.39 ERA across four starts, striking out 28 in 23 1/3 frames. There's a lefty void in this organization after steps back or injury disappearances (Kyle Carr, Brock Selvidge). Herring has certainly stepped up in the short term to fill some of the Yankees' enthusiasm gap in his pro debut.

Brendan Jones, OF

Let's give the Yankees their flowers on the offensive side of the ball for uncovering Brendan Jones in the 12th round out of Kansas State, too.

Jones, a sturdy outfielder in the Gritty, Gutty Brett Gardner mold, has surprising pop for his size (5'10", 180 pounds). More importantly, he just hits, turning on inside pitches and using the right-field line with aplomb so far. After a brief early skid, he's rebounded to hit .250 with a .363 OBP and .810 OPS through his first 76 at-bats, homering three times in five games from April 16-23.

Another collegiate star who felt overlooked exiting the draft, Jones has the potential to ride his polish all the way to a more prominent organizational role.