Yankees select Alabama pitcher Ben Hess in first round of MLB draft

The Yankees didn’t come up in the order until the 26th pick of Sunday night’s first round in the MLB Draft.

And after they did go on the clock, it ended with them going for pitching.

The Yankees selected Alabama right-hander Ben Hess.

The Illinois native is 6-5, 255 pounds and owns the Crimson Tide’s career record for strikeouts per nine innings — 13.34. There were 205 strikeouts over 138 1/3 innings across three seasons.

This past season, the junior went 5-5 but with a high ERA of 5.80 ERA in 15 starts. He held batters to a .234 average. He struck out 106 and walked 35 over 68 1/3 innings.

His fastball runs 92-96 mph and can touch 99, and he has a slider that travels in the mid-80s. He was ranked as the No. 44 prospect by MLB.com.

“We saw him early in the year and the stuff was dynamite at times,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said on the MLB Network telecast of the draft. “They talked about the results kind of being come and go, well, you look at where he’s from, he’s from a northern state, he did have an injury, and as the season went on, he got better.

“I think what they’re looking for here is a big, physical starting pitcher and a guy that’s not afraid to compete.”

There’s indeed some toughness here.

“Talking with the coaching staff at Alabama, new coach Rob Vaughn, I know deep into the year, they had a game where he had food poisoning and he decided to take the ball anyway against Mississippi State,” Vitello said. “Gritted through that effort and went on to have his best starts following that. So I think his best days are ahead of him.”

The Yankees went for pitching again in the second round, taking Vanderbilt righty Bryce Cunningham.