Reese hit .336 with a 1.152 OPS across 62 games as a junior at Mississippi State University
SEATTLE – The Seattle Mariners have selected third baseman Ace Reese out of Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, MS) with the 24th overall pick in the 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Vice President of Amateur Scouting Scott Hunter announced today.
“Ace Reese is a left-handed hitting third baseman from Mississippi State and has been one of the premier bats in college baseball over the last two years,” said Hunter. “He brings an exciting blend of power and contact with good 3B defense. We’re excited about the offensive upside he brings to our organization.”
Reese, 21, hit .336 (83×247) 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 (Mississippi State, MS).
His 24 home runs this season were tied for 2nd-most in the Southeastern Conference in 2026 and are 5th-most in a single season in school history, surpassing Brent Rooker’s 23 home runs in 2017. He also became the third player in program history to hit 20+ home runs in back-to-back seasons, joining Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro. In addition, his 23 doubles this season led the SEC and are tied for the 8th-most in a single season in school history.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound infielder spent 1 season at Houston and his last 2 seasons at Mississippi State, combining for a .327 (208×636) with 164 runs, 29 doubles, 5 triples, 52 home runs, 164 RBI, 96 walks, 7 stolen bases, while reaching base at a .419 clip and slugging .665 over his collegiate career.
Reese is ranked as the 12th overall draft prospect by Baseball America and the 18th overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline.
He attended Canton High School (Houston, TX) where he was a three-time All-State First team selection. Reese batted a career .490 with 9 home runs and 63 extra-base hits during his high school career.
Reese is the 3rd-consecutive college player selected with the Mariners first pick, following left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson (3rd overall in 2025) out of Louisiana State University and switch-handed pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (15th overall in 2024) out of Mississippi State University. He is the first college position player taken first by the Mariners since first baseman Evan White out of the University of Kentucky in 2017 (17th overall).
Reese is the Mariners 1st of 4 picks on Day 1. They will also have the 65th overall pick (2nd round), the 101st overall pick (3rd round) and 129th overall pick (4th round).
The 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft concludes tomorrow with rounds 5-20, beginning at 8:30 a.m. PT.
