David James Hess (born July 10, 1993) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

and Miami Marlins.

Amateur career

Hess played baseball at Tullahoma High School in

Tullahoma, Tennessee Tullahoma is a city in Coffee and Franklin counties in southern Middle Tennessee, United States. The population was 20,339 at the 2020 census. In 2019, the population was estimated to be 19,555. It is the principal city of the Tullahoma micropo ...

. As a senior, he had a 8–1 win–loss record with a 1.91

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) along with batting .393 with eight

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. After high school, he enrolled at Tennessee Technological University and played college baseball for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. In 2014, his junior year, he pitched to a 9-3 record with a 3.24 ERA in 16 starts.

Professional career

Baltimore Orioles

After the season, Hess was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut with the

Aberdeen IronBirds The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. They are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League. They were previously members of the ...

and also spent time with the

Delmarva Shorebirds The Delmarva Shorebirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are members of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Their home games are played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shor ...

; in ten total games between the two teams, he pitched to a 2–1 record and 3.24 ERA. He started 2015 with the

Frederick Keys The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team masc ...

and was promoted to Bowie Baysox during the season. In 28 games (27 starts) between both clubs, he posted a 10–5 record and a 3.64 ERA. He returned to Bowie in 2016, going 5–13 with a 5.37 ERA in 25 games (24 starts). In 2017, he once again returned to Bowie, pitching to an 11–9 record with a 3.85 ERA with 123 strikeouts in a career high 154.1 innings pitched. The Orioles added Hess to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season. Hess made his major league debut on May 12, 2018 against the Tampa Bay Rays at

Oriole Park at Camden Yards The Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early ...

. He pitched six innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits, three strikeouts, and zero walks. He remained in the Orioles rotation, totaling 21 appearances, 19 of them starts. He went 3-10 in innings. In his first start of the 2019 season in a 6–5 win over the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

at Rogers Centre on April 1, Hess had a no-hit bid through 6 1/3 innings before being removed by manager Brandon Hyde in favor of Pedro Araújo. With his record at 1–10 by the end of the campaign, he and

Gabriel Ynoa Gabriel Ynoa Gómez (born May 26, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican Baseball League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, in N ...

became the first pair of teammates with double-digit losses and no more than one win since Jack Nabors and

Tom Sheehan Thomas Clancy Sheehan (March 31, 1894 – October 29, 1982) was an American pitcher, scout, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Born in Grand Ridge, Illinois, Sheehan, a right-hander, had a six-year pitching career from 1915–16, 1921 ...

of the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics. Hess only appeared in 3 games for the Orioles in 2020, and gave up 5 runs over 7 innings pitched. On October 29, 2020, Hess was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and became a free agent.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 3, 2020, Hess signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Hess posted a 2.81 ERA through 13 appearances with the Triple-A Durham Bulls.

Miami Marlins

On July 3, 2021, the Rays traded Hess to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Justin Sterner and cash considerations. The Marlins selected Hess' contract to the active roster following his acquisition. On August 14, 2021, Hess was designated for assignment by the Marlins. On August 18, Hess rejected his outright assignment and elected free agency.

Tampa Bay Rays (second stint)

On August 19, Hess signed a minor league deal to return to the Tampa Bay Rays and was assigned to Triple-A Durham. On August 21, the Rays selected Hess' contract. The following day, Hess was designated for assignment without appearing in a game. On August 24, Hess cleared waivers and was assigned outright back to Triple-A Durham. Hess's contract was selected on September 6. Hess made 1 appearance for the Rays, recording a 27.00 ERA with 2 strikeouts before he was designated for assignment on September 8. On October 14, Hess elected free agency, before re-signing with the Rays on a minor league deal on November 11. He was released on July 11, 2022.

Personal life

Hess is a Christian. Hess and his wife, Devin, married in 2016. On October 13, 2021, Hess announced via Twitter that he will undergo chemotherapy after doctors discovered a cancerous germ cell tumor in his chest. On January 28, 2022, Hess was 'cured' and cleared for baseball activities.

References

External links

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hess, David 1993 births Living people People from Tullahoma, Tennessee Baseball players from Tennessee Major League Baseball pitchers Baltimore Orioles players Miami Marlins players Tampa Bay Rays players Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles baseball players Aberdeen IronBirds players Delmarva Shorebirds players Frederick Keys players Bowie Baysox players Norfolk Tides players Durham Bulls players