The University of Alabama is a school best known for its football program. Over the years, 432 Crimson Tide football players have been drafted by NFL teams. But what the public may not know is that the 205-year-old university has also had an impact on Major League Baseball. Alabama has put 312 players into MLB, including 155 through baseball’s annual amateur draft which has been held every year since 1965.
Only five Alabama players have ever been picked in the first round of the draft, the latest coming just this year. In fact, righthanded pitcher Ben Hess became the second-highest draft pick in Alabama history when the New York Yankees took the then-21 year old with their first-round selection, 26th overall.
Now, according to a new trade proposal that would upgrade their infield after the departure of Gleyber Torres to the Detroit Tigers in free agency, the Yankees may cut ties with West already.
Trade Pitch Ships Top Draft Pick to Tampa Bay
The trade pitch by Sporting News reporter Jackson Roberts would send West along with eight-year minor leaguer Jorbit Vivas, an infielder, to the Tampa Bay Rays.
In return, under the Sporting News proposal, the Yankees would get back second-baseman Brandon Lowe, a versatile but often-injured 30-year-old who has also played first base and both corner outfield positions for the Rays in his seven-year career, all spent in Tampa Bay.
Lowe has two years remaining on his six-year, $24 million deal with the Rays — but according to the sports business site SpoTrac, his value on the open market could reach $80 million over four years. But the Yankees would be on the hook for just $10.5 million in 2025 on Lowe’s current contract.
His deal comes with a club option for 2026, meaning the Yankees could shed his salary after a single season, or keep him for 2026 at price of $11.5 million. The trade, therefore, would make financial sense for both clubs. The perennially cash-strapped Rays, who had MLB’s third-lowest payroll in 2024, dump Lowe’s $10.5 million from their ledger while the Yankees get an economical replacement for Torres.
A Healthy Lowe: Economical Torres Replacement
“Lowe has struggled to stay on the field over the last three seasons, but when healthy, he’s produced at every turn. He owns an .808 OPS/126 OPS+ since the start of the 2020 season, including a 39-homer season during his 2021 All-Star campaign,” wrote Roberts, adding that Hess would be “the ideal Rays pitching lab project. Meanwhile, Vivas has a great hit tool and could fit Tampa Bay’s team identity of positional versatility.”
Hess, according to an MLB.com scouting report, was the top high school prospect in the state of Illinois circa 2021. But he shook off the interest of several MLB teams at that time to pitch for the Crimson Tide. Injuries held him back for his first two years at Alabama, but the 6’5″, 255-pounder stayed healthy for his final season with a fastball that sat between 92 and 96 mph, topping out at 99 mph.
“He repeatedly has had health issues that included a stress fracture in his back in high school and a flexor strain in 2023,” the scouting report stated. “He has the upside of a No. 2 starter but will need to throw more strikes to reach it.”
Rebuilding his control, to get back to the 6-1 strikeout-to-walk rate of his sophomore year at Alabama would presumably be a main objective of Tampa Bay’s pitching development program if the organization swapped Lowe to obtain him.
