Another Yankees top pitching prospect flashed promise for 2026 at spring training

After the first weekend of play, Yankees top pitching prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange were (rightfully) the talk of New York fans following their impressive starts on Friday and Saturday. The two right-handers are the organization's top pitching prospects.

Right behind them, though? None other than Ben Hess, who hasn't gotten nearly the amount of attention despite finishing the 2025 season strong at Double-A Somerset (2.70 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 45 strikeouts in seven starts totaling 36 2/3 innings).

Hess was the Yankees' first-round pick in 2024 after his rocky final season at the University of Alabama. The right-hander finished with a 5.80 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 15 starts, but he struck out 106 batters in 68 1/3 innings. Clearly, the Yankees saw something.

The early returns have been great, and Hess continued his momentum with his 2026 spring training debut. On Monday, he tossed three innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five on 48 pitches. Most of that damage came in his third frame when it was clear he was running out of gas.

But those first two innings were incredibly encouraging even though he didn't necessarily face anybody of consequence. Hess didn't get an invite to spring training last year, so it's hard to ask for much more in his organizational spring debut.

Yankees Prospects: Ben Hess another big arm behind Elmer Rodriguez, Carlos Lagrange

Last week, Hess garnered some headlines for striking out Aaron Judge in a live batting practice session. In the end he got knocked around by Judge, Trent Grisham, and Cody Bellinger, but didn't let that affect him. He showed serious movement on his pitches and hit 95 MPH on his fastball on Monday.

We'll likely see him a few more times before he's optioned to minor-league camp and begins the 2026 campaign at Somerset. Fans might suspect he'll get a quick bump to Triple-A if he manages to pick up where he left off last season, bringing him that much closer to the big league roster.

There's also the possibility the Yankees will use him as trade bait before the deadline to upgrade their squad for a World Series run given the prospect pitching depth they possess. Assuming Rodriguez and Lagrange aren't going anywhere, that does make Hess, Bryce Cunningham and Chase Hampton a bit more expendable.

Regardless, the Yankees seeing this significant of a shift in their farm system is a win for all assuming it continues on this trajectory.