Yankees fans will love 2024 first-round pick's comments dripping with bravado

The New York Yankees, supposedly owners of the biggest, brightest and bell/whistle-filled pitching factory in the game, needed to hit the reset button last summer. In an attempt to kickstart their recovery below the surface, with the Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and plenty more all stealing Matt Blake's thunder, the Yankees drafted seven collegiate pitchers to open the 2024 class (sorry, Grand Canyon University first baseman Tyler Wilson, but you stick out like a sore thumb).

The hope was that the more bites the Yankees took at the apple, the likelier they'd be to find a few fast-rising hurlers who could undo some of the damage the system had taken because of depleting trades (Juan Soto, Scott Effross, Frankie Montas) and injuries (Chase Hampton, we wish we knew you better). 2024 third-rounder Thatcher Hurd added to the soreness before the season even started, succumbing to Tommy John surgery.

A fast start out of the gate - in terms of both attitude and polish - would go a long way towards setting the Yankees on the right path towards collecting their winnings here. They put a lot of work on their plates this past offseason. They drafted out of pitching factories (Vanderbilt, LSU), but they bet on stuff/pedigree over results. Plenty of the Yankees' selections finished their collegiate careers with unsightly ERAs. Some were relievers. Some were stuck in between.

The Captain of the Head Scratchers was first-rounder Ben Hess out of Alabama, a swingman who finished his Crimson Tide career with a 5.80 ERA in 15 starts during his junior year, in what was supposed to be a crowning season. So, what would his pro debut look like? Could he match the strikeout hype that his 13.34 K/9 had created from college ball? Or would he continue to look surprisingly hittable?

It only took one start for Hess to justify the hype, whiffing nine men in 4 2/3 two-hit shutout innings at High-A Hudson Valley. And, if you listen to Hess, you'll know that he envisions that outing as only the beginning of his rise.

Yankees' top pitching prospect Ben Hess knows he aims to be the best (and proved it in pro debut)

Now that's the attitude adjustment the Yankees needed. For what it's worth, his second start on Wednesday might've somehow been superior (five innings, three hits, an unearned run, nine more Ks). He knew.

The Yankees selected Hess - and several others, like Bryce Cunningham and Gage Ziehl - who came from premium academies with chips embedded in their shoulders. If they didn't think they could be the best, though, even after taking their collegiate lumps, they wouldn't be in this game.

We can't wait to see Hess continue to hurtle forward, undeterred by his pre-draft doubters. A pick's not a stretch if the player believes hard enough in chasing his own phantom ceiling.