Two years ago, the Mariners drafted pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje in the first round out of Mississippi State. In 2026, the Mariners went back to MSU, as standout slugger Ace Reese headlined a college-heavy haul for the Seattle organization in the MLB Draft.
The picks
| Round | Name | School | Signed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ace Reese | Mississippi State | Y |
| 2 | Jake Brown | LSU | Y |
| 3 | Nathan Taylor | Cincinnati | Y |
| 4 | Trevor Lucas | UNCW | Y |
| 5 | Hayden Yost | Florida | Y |
| 6 | Henry Ford | Tennessee | Y |
| 7 | Ryan Wynn | Georgia | Y |
| 8 | Mason Eckelman | Ohio State | Y |
| 9 | Drew Whalen | Auburn | Y |
| 10 | Eric Jeon | Stanford | Y |
| 11 | Wyatt Queen | Oregon State | Y |
| 12 | Connor Marshburn | UNCW | Y |
| 13 | Anthony Treto | Tarleton State | Y |
| 14 | Chris Diaz | FGCU | Y |
| 15 | Charlie Sutherland | Minnesota | Y |
| 16 | Chris Torres | South Carolina Upstate | Y |
| 17 | Matthew Matthijs | North Carolina | Y |
| 18 | Dominic Santarelli | St. Joseph Catholic Academy HS | N |
| 19 | Michael Petite | VCU | Y |
| 20 | Connor Shouse | Texas Tech | N |
The players
The Mariners had a near-all-college MLB Draft class, with the lone high school player taken in the 18th round. And for the most part, Seattle went by the book, going for best player available as opposed to mixing and matching to maximize their pool money.
Seattle took standout infielder Ace Reese in the first round. Reese came into the year as a likely first-rounder and did nothing to tarnish his reputation during the 2026 NCAA season. The junior led the Mississippi State Bulldogs in nearly every statistical category this season: total hits (83), runs scored (73), home runs (24), and RBI (74).
A power-hitting corner infielder, Reese has the chance to be a fast riser in the Mariners’ organization. Sure, he struck out a good amount in his junior season — but the power is very much legitimate.
Seattle’s second-rounder was Jake Brown, who had a monstrous junior season despite only playing 42 games this season for the Tigers. Brown, who missed virtually all of the last month of the season, ended the year with a career-high 16 home runs. It was a breakout year in terms of pop, which he showed to all fields, one year after he batted .320 with eight home runs on the Tigers’ 2025 championship team.
The Mariners went heavy on the SEC talent, as you can see above. Hayden Yost, who hit 10 home runs in his own abbreviated campaign, was taken in the fifth round. Ryan Wynn hit nine home runs for the Georgia Bulldogs in a year where he only started 29 games on a deep team that went far in the NCAA Tournament.
The club also grabbed Henry Ford, who’s always been a power hitter. Ford could have gone pro in 2025 as a draft-eligible sophomore but didn’t. The question, for now, is what the Mariners have with the 22-year-old, whose other numbers went backwards down in the SEC.
Sandwiched in between was Trevor Lucas, who hit 21 home runs over two seasons with UNC Wilmington, a good program in the CAA that’s consistently produced pro talent.
As for the pitchers, Seattle grabbed a few interesting names. Among the pitchers grabbed were Matthew Matthijs, who sat in the low-90s at best at UNC but was a useful bullpen piece. Oregon State pitcher Wyatt Queen was one of the top relievers at the college level this past season, as the junior struck out 78 over 47 innings and posted an ERA just a tick above 2.00.
Deep pitch mix, which included a low-90s fastball with carry, a changeup, as well as two breaking balls, a slider and a curveball.
Drew Whalen only tossed 11 innings this season for the Auburn Tigers. Fastball that sat in the 93-96 MPH range this season, as well as an array of secondary stuff, as well.
However, the most notable pitcher picked up by Seattle was Nathan Taylor. Taylor was a three-year starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Bearcats and was one of the top hurlers in 2025 and 2026. Just this past season, Taylor struck out 115 batters over 90 innings for Cincinnati.
Heavy fastball/slider usage, and his four-seamer can get into the mid-90s. However, there is more in Taylor’s arsenal.
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