Benjamin Heller (born August 5, 1991) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

in the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

organization. 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

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

from 2016 to 2017, and 2019 to 2020.

Career

Heller attended Whitewater High School in

Whitewater, Wisconsin Whitewater is a city located in Walworth and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located near the southern portion of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Whitewater is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. As of the ...

, where he holds the school record for saves, pitched two no-hitters, and had a 1.14 ERA his senior year. Heller played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

Olivet Nazarene University Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is a private Nazarene university in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Named for its founding location, Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907. In the late 1930 ...

, and summer collegiate baseball with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.

Cleveland Indians

The

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

selected Heller in the 22nd round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. Heller played in Cleveland's farm system from 2013 to 2016, rising to the Triple-A level.

New York Yankees

On July 31, 2016, the Indians traded Heller along with

Clint Frazier Clint Jackson Frazier (born September 6, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs. A top prospect for the 2013 MLB draft, the Cleveland I ...

Justus Sheffield Justus Kane Sheffield (born May 13, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in ...

and

J. P. Feyereisen Jonathon Paul Feyereisen (born February 7, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020 and has also played for the Tampa B ...

to the

for Andrew Miller. The Yankees promoted Heller to the major league roster on August 11, but he was returned to the minors without making an appearance. The Yankees promoted him again on August 23, and he made his major league debut on August 26, 2016, pitching a scoreless eighth inning against 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 ...

. Overall with the 2016 Yankees, Heller appeared in 10 games in relief, posting a 6.43 ERA with six strikeouts in seven innings. During the 2017 season, Heller split time between the Yankees and the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

. He appeared in nine major league games, striking out nine batters in 11 innings with a 0.82 ERA. On April 6, 2018, Heller underwent Tommy John surgery, and subsequently missed the rest of the season. He returned to the Yankees in 2019, appearing in 6 games, all in relief, while posting a 1.23 ERA and striking out 9 batters in innings. Initially not included on the Yankees' postseason roster, Heller was added after

CC Sabathia Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. (born July 21, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the New York Yankees. He also played for the Cleveland Indians and Milwauk ...

suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth game of the ALCS. On September 2, 2020, Heller was ejected for the first time in his career after hitting Hunter Renfroe with a pitch. Heller was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on February 10, 2021, to make room on the 40-man roster for

Darren O'Day Darren Christopher O'Day (born October 22, 1982) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Oriole ...

. On February 12, Heller was released by the Yankees.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 20, 2021, Heller signed a minor league contract with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

organization. On April 20, 2021, Heller was released by the Diamondbacks after suffering a stress fracture in his elbow, ending his season before it began.

Minnesota Twins

On July 18, 2022, Heller signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins. He made four rehab appearances for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Twins before being promoted to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. Heller had a 21.60 ERA with three strikeouts in innings pitched across three appearances before being released on September 5, 2022.

Tampa Bay Rays

On January 18, 2023, Heller signed a minor league contract with the

organization.

Personal life

Ben and his wife Martha met while attending

; she is an 8th grade math teacher. In 2017, Ben and his wife stayed together in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

, when Ben was pitching in the minor leagues and lived above a funeral parlor with Chad Green.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heller, Ben 1991 births Living people Baseball players from Milwaukee Major League Baseball pitchers New York Yankees players Olivet Nazarene Tigers baseball players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Lake County Captains players Carolina Mudcats players Lynchburg Hillcats players Akron RubberDucks players Columbus Clippers players Tampa Tarpons players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players