Mariners Select INF Ace Reese With 2026 First Round Pick
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Amid an unpredictable first round of the 2026 MLB draft, the Seattle Mariners selected third baseman Ace Reese out of Mississippi State University with the 24th overall pick. It’s a change of pace for Mariners Vice President of Amateur Scouting Scott Hunter, as Reese's selection marks the first college hitter Seattle has selected in the first round since Evan White in 2017.
The Mariners view Reese as one of the best “pure college power bats” in this year’s draft, crediting him with a track record of success, especially in the current SEC.
Reese is ranked the 12th overall draft prospect by Baseball America and the 18th overall by MLB Pipeline, ultimately falling to the Mariners at 24th overall. Despite falling a bit short of his projections, Hunter shared that the call with Reese was positive rather than disappointing. There were plenty of smiles, happy tears, and a sense of relief, as Ace is “really appreciative of the opportunity.”
“Exciting one for us with a very unpredictable first round so far. We’re extremely excited to get a player of Ace Reese’s caliber, a third baseman from Mississippi State. What we feel is one of the best pure college power bats in this draft. He’s got a track record of success. He’s done it on every level, and to be that successful and that impactful in the SEC right now, he had a 383 ISO (Isolated power), hits right-handers and left-handers. We were very fortunate that he slipped us at this part of the draft.”
Reese has some questions in the field, with Hunter acknowledging that Ace understands there’s work to do with his glove, but the focus is on his hitting ability. The 21-year-old infielder posted a .336 average with 73 runs, 23 doubles, 24 home runs, 74 RBI, 1 stolen base, and 41 walks, getting on base at a .432 clip and slugging .721 for a 1.152 OPS in 62 games as a junior at Mississippi State University.
His contact numbers took a step back this past season with the Bulldogs, but this wasn’t much of a concern to Hunter, as he cited a change in coaching staff and a new hitting philosophy that temporarily derailed Reese’s numbers. The University of Virginia’s staff took over at Mississippi State, and Hunter explained that the new approach threw Ace off at the plate before he reverted to what worked well for him.
“We talked with him about that in the combine meeting, where early in the year he was trying to do some things that were different from the way the coaching staff had him... Ace, about a month into the season, went in and said, ‘This is really hard for me. I need to go back to my old routines and my old feel.’ And then he really saw some things start really taking off for him, especially late in the season.”
The bat is something that got brought up repeatedly by Hunter during his availability, even mentioning that their analysts show that he’s “probably one of the top three hitters in the country,” with the player development staff believing that he’s a player that can go out and have immediate success. While the Mariners aren’t going to rush his development, they believe his production in the SEC, which they call a “totally different animal of baseball these days for college sports,” is impressive enough to believe he may not be far off.
It’s certainly interesting to see the third baseman tag next to Reese’s name with this selection, considering the lack of consistency the Mariners have had at third base since Kyle Seager’s retirement, but Hunter wasn’t worried about his defense long-term. The focus is always as a hitter first for Seattle, and Hunter even stated that Reese has played right field and first base, so there’s not a clear commitment to keep him on the hot corner.
“He’s got some work to do at third base; he’s aware of that too. He’s had a bit of a setback with a foot injury over the Fall and Spring, but he’s motivated. He’s played right field and first base, but he’s a motivated kid who wants to be a third baseman. With that kind of bat, if we can get him to the place where he is and get him with Bone over there, I think he’s going to be a guy whose bat’s going to carry him, but the defense is going to come along. He’s got the skills to do it. Just a matter of refining some things over there.”
With that being said, Hunter also noted that Ace is motivated to stick at third, so it’ll be interesting to see where Reese ultimately plays in the field.
Hunter adds that, despite not being able to meet with Reese much this past year due to Mississippi State’s postseason run, they’re “very comfortable” with who Ace is and how they envision him fitting into the Mariners organization. The reports Seattle got from Starkville were that Reese is a team-first guy who’s already been in many different situations and high-level moments early in his baseball career.
“Very comfortable with the human, the person, how he’s going to fit, all the good things coming out of Starkville, and the people that have been around him about the leadership and the passion to be part of a winning team. It just kind of fits what we do; that made it even easier.”
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