SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners opted to use their first pick in the 2026 MLB Draft to take one of the best power-hitting college bats available.

With the 24th overall pick, the Mariners selected third baseman Ace Reese out of Mississippi State.

Reese was the 18th overall prospect available in the draft, per MLB.com.

Reese was a second-team D1Baseball All-American this college baseball season after he helped lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Super Regionals.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound slugger slashed .336/.432/.721 with a 1.152 OPS in 62 games with Mississippi State this past season. He hit 23 doubles and 24 home runs with 74 RBIs.

Reese is the second Bulldog to be taken in the first round by the Mariners in the last three drafts. Switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (now with the St. Louis Cardinals) was selected in the first round in the 2024 MLB Draft. This year's draft marks the third consecutive year Seattle has taken a player from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with its first round pick. The M's took left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson third overall in the draft in 2025.

Reese signed slightly under-slot for $3.5 million following the pick. The 24th overall pick has a slot value of roughly $3.8 million.

Reese also became the first college position player taken in the first round by the Mariners since the 2017 MLB Draft, in which Kentucky first baseman Evan White was selected 17th overall.

"Not only are the guys in (player development) excited, we're excited," Seattle vice president of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said following the pick Saturday at T-Mobile Park. "The information that comes back from our analysts show that he's probably one of the top three hitters in the country and it profiles as a guy that's gonna go out and have success right away. I don't like to put a timetable on a player, but to do the things he was doing in the SEC, which is a totally different animal of baseball these days for college sports, it's really impressive."

The Mariners' place value in hitting over fielding, which is all the better for Reese, who will still be looking to improve at the hot corner in the minor leagues. He has experience playing in right field and at first base, as well, giving Seattle options on where to slot him on the field in the minor leagues and (ideally) the majors when he's ready.

"It's always the hit first," Hunter said. " ... He's got some work to do at third base. He's aware of that, too. He had a little bit of a setback with a foot injury over the fall and spring that set him back a little bit. But he's motivated. He's played right field, first base. He's a motivated kid that wants to be a third baseman. And with that kind of bat, if we can get him to a place with (infield coach Perry Hill) over there ... his bat's gonna 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."

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