On the Clock- Ben Heller

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed journeyman relief pitcher Ben Heller to a minor league contract this past winter to add some depth to the organization. Pittsburgh is now Heller’s seventh MLB team since being selected in the 22nd round by the Cleveland Indians out of Olivet Nazarene (NAIA) in the 2013 MLB draft. 

The 33-year-old started his MLB career playing for the New York Yankees after being traded from Cleveland in a huge trade that brought back relief pitcher Andrew Miller. Heller has pitched only 58 games in the majors, compared to 338 minor league games. Heller has never been able to stick long term and has struggled in his first season as a Pirates relief pitcher, going 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA in eight appearances.

Draft Nation was able to sit down with Ben Heller and go over his draft story:

Draft Nation- Did you play multiple sports in high school?

Ben Heller- “I played football my freshman year. After that I only played baseball.”

Draft Nation- Were you scouted in high school?

Ben Heller- “No, not at all.”

Draft Nation- Velocity wise, what were you throwing in high school?

Ben Heller- “Mid-to-upper 80’s.”

Draft Nation- Did you have a big array of pitches in high school?

Ben Heller- “I threw a curve ball but rarely. I actually threw a no-hitter my senior year, throwing nothing but fastballs.”

Draft Nation- Did you receive any offers from colleges?

Ben Heller- “No, being in a small Wisconsin town I really didn’t have anybody watching me, I ended up going to an NAIA school Olivet Nazarene.” 

Draft Nation- When you were in college, when did you get that feeling that you could become a professional player?

Ben Heller- “I would say after my sophomore year, playing summer ball in Alaska. That was the first time I competed against high level players. Like Aaron Judge and Patrick Wisdom played there that summer.”

Draft Nation- What were you hitting on the radar gun that summer?

Ben Heller- “By then I was like 92-94, so I saw a big velo uptake my first year at college, I put on a big growth spurt, I put on 30 lbs of muscle and grew 2”.

Draft Nation- On your draft day what were your expectations?

Ben Heller- “I was hoping that I would be selected. I was drafted as a senior in 2013, as a junior in 2012 I was hoping and expecting to get drafted that year but that didn’t work out. I was just hoping for an opportunity.”

Draft Nation- How did you spend your draft day?

Ben Heller- “I was at home with my family, I was nervous, antsy…all of that.”

Draft Nation-  How did they get a hold of you?

Ben Heller- “Actually I saw it first pop up on the draft tracker, and a few seconds later I got a call from the Cleveland Indians scout to let me know they took me.”