Top Prospect Evaluators Mock SEC College Righty to Braves in 2024 MLB Draft
The Atlanta Braves have a type.
When it comes to drafting pitchers, an area where Atlanta's dedicated a higher percentage of their bonus pool than any other organization over the last six years, the Braves have a history of selecting college righthanders. Of the twelve pitchers taken in last year's MLB Draft, nine were college righties.
And so in the latest Baseball America mock draft, they've got Atlanta going back to that same well with University of Alabama righthander Ben Hess.
It's the first spring update for Baseball America to their mocks, coming right after college baseball began conference play, and Hess rises up the board thanks to his strong performance in non-conference play: a 3-1 record and 3.92 ERA, with 34 strikeouts in only 20.2 innings for the Crimson Tide.
Here's what Baseball America said about the junior:
Hess was close to lights out this spring for Alabama through his first four starts before his most recent outing against Tennessee when he allowed four earned runs in 3.2 innings. Overall he has a 3.92 ERA through five starts and 20.2 innings with a 40.5% strikeout rate and 13.1% walk rate. His stuff has impressed southern scouts. They consistently put him somewhere in the back of the first round thanks to a fastball that sits in the mid 90s and can get near triple digits as well as a pair of solid breaking balls. He’s never thrown more than 36.1 innings in a season, so staying healthy and stacking frames are keys for him moving forward.
Hess isn't a perfect fit for Atlanta, but an interesting selection. SEC evaluators we've talked to actually favor his curveball to his slider, something to keep in mind given Atlanta's proclivity to have their pitching prospects temporarily shelve curveballs in favor of sliders in the minors.
But Hess seemingly has a lot of the traits that the Braves seem to look for in their pitching prospects - a strong fastball (T98) with above-average velocity and a reliable secondary, as well as an improvable changeup.
Given Hess's relatively low innings totals in his previous two seasons - 33.2 and 36.1 in 2022 and 2023, respectively - he's not projected to be able to quickly move through the system or take on a significant number of innings like Hurston Waldrep is projected to this season, but would rather be on a more traditional timeline for a major college draftee.
The 2024 MLB Draft is scheduled for July 2024 from Arlington, Texas, held in conjunction with the activities of All-Star Weekend.