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The New York Yankees featured three of their top pitching prospects in Spring Training, with all of Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez and Ben Hess getting some burn.
Lagrange was the talk of the town due to his strong showing and is expected to be called up to the Yankees' bullpen at some point this season. Rodriguez has already made multiple starts and will be back with the big-league club again on Sunday.
Then, there's Hess, who flashed tremendous stuff in the spring and appeared to have a chance of making his major-league debut at some point in 2026. However, the burly right-hander has hit a major speed bump.
Hess has made eight starts at Double-A Somerset this year, and the results haven't been pretty. He owns a 4.12 ERA and 1.627 WHIP, and while he has racked up 28 strikeouts over 19.2 innings of work, his command has been a major issue.
He is walking 5.5 batters per nine innings, and he has surrendered 20 hits. And did you notice something else about Hess' numbers?
In spite of having made eight starts, Hess hasn't even thrown 20 innings yet. He went five innings in his first start of the season and hasn't made it through four since. In fact, Hess has failed to pitch a full two frames three times, and he has only completed three innings once since his opening outing.
New York Yankees pitcher Ben Hess. Credit: USA TODAY Network.
For someone who flashed such electrifying talent in Spring Training, Hess has surely been a disappointment thus far in 2026.
Last year, the 23-year-old logged a 3.22 ERA and 1.074 WHIP between Single-A and Double-A. He also averaged 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Control was still a bit of a a problem, as evidenced by his 4.0 BB/9, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it has been this season.
Hess is still very green, so the Yankees need to allot time for him to develop. Hopefully, this is just a blip on the radar for the 6-foot-5, 255-pound hurler. But there is no question that it's a bit concerning, especially with both Lagrange and Rodriguez struggling with command themselves.
New York selected Hess with the 26th overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft and had very high expectations for him. It still does, and understandably so. Again, Hess has phenomenal stuff. But if he can't find the plate and can't seem to make it past a couple of innings, the Yankees will have an issue.
Perhaps a move to the bullpen will eventually prove best for Hess if he continues at this rate, but then there's the issue of his control. You really don't want someone with command trouble coming into a game with men on base.
We'll see if Hess is able to right the ship as we get deeper into the campaign, but this is definitely not the start that he — or New York — was expecting.
Yankees Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Yankees. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
Lagrange was the talk of the town due to his strong showing and is expected to be called up to the Yankees' bullpen at some point this season. Rodriguez has already made multiple starts and will be back with the big-league club again on Sunday.
Then, there's Hess, who flashed tremendous stuff in the spring and appeared to have a chance of making his major-league debut at some point in 2026. However, the burly right-hander has hit a major speed bump.
Hess has made eight starts at Double-A Somerset this year, and the results haven't been pretty. He owns a 4.12 ERA and 1.627 WHIP, and while he has racked up 28 strikeouts over 19.2 innings of work, his command has been a major issue.
He is walking 5.5 batters per nine innings, and he has surrendered 20 hits. And did you notice something else about Hess' numbers?
In spite of having made eight starts, Hess hasn't even thrown 20 innings yet. He went five innings in his first start of the season and hasn't made it through four since. In fact, Hess has failed to pitch a full two frames three times, and he has only completed three innings once since his opening outing.
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New York Yankees pitcher Ben Hess. Credit: USA TODAY Network.
For someone who flashed such electrifying talent in Spring Training, Hess has surely been a disappointment thus far in 2026.
Last year, the 23-year-old logged a 3.22 ERA and 1.074 WHIP between Single-A and Double-A. He also averaged 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Control was still a bit of a a problem, as evidenced by his 4.0 BB/9, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it has been this season.
Hess is still very green, so the Yankees need to allot time for him to develop. Hopefully, this is just a blip on the radar for the 6-foot-5, 255-pound hurler. But there is no question that it's a bit concerning, especially with both Lagrange and Rodriguez struggling with command themselves.
New York selected Hess with the 26th overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft and had very high expectations for him. It still does, and understandably so. Again, Hess has phenomenal stuff. But if he can't find the plate and can't seem to make it past a couple of innings, the Yankees will have an issue.
Perhaps a move to the bullpen will eventually prove best for Hess if he continues at this rate, but then there's the issue of his control. You really don't want someone with command trouble coming into a game with men on base.
We'll see if Hess is able to right the ship as we get deeper into the campaign, but this is definitely not the start that he — or New York — was expecting.
Yankees Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Yankees. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
