Mariners’ first-round pick named top standout by Baseball America

The Seattle Mariners have had some impressive first stints as a pro from some of their top draft picks in recent years.

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In 2022, Cole Young hit .367 with a .940 OPS, four extra-base hits, including two homers, and eight walks to eight strikeouts in 17 games between the Arizona Complex League and Single-A shortly after the M’s had taken him with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round of the draft that summer.

The next year it was Colt Emerson who impressed after being taken No. 22 overall in the first round. He hit .374 with a 1.045 OPS, two homers, 10 doubles, eight stolen bases and 17 walks to 20 strikeouts in 24 games between the ACL and Single-A. He then batted .550 (11 for 20) with three doubles and eight RBIs in four playoff games to help the Modesto Nuts win the California League title.

Young and Emerson, who were both 18 years old when they were drafted, found themselves in the big leagues just three years after they were picked.

The Mariners had another first-rounder put up a strong showing in his first taste of pro baseball this year in third baseman Ace Reese, who was named the top standout among 2026 draftees to make their pro debuts by Baseball America on Friday.

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Seattle selected Reese with the 24th overall pick and assigned the Mississippi State product to Single-A Inland Empire on Aug. 6. In 21 games during his first pro season, the left-handed-hitting third baseman showed he is ready to take on a greater challenge, batting .440 with a 1.197 OPS, three homers, eight doubles and 19 walks to 12 strikeouts.

Reece, 21, has yet to crack top 100 prospect lists at this point, but figures to be a candidate to sneak on to those lists next year. He’s currently ranked as the Mariners’ No. 5 prospect by Baseball America and No. 8 by MLB Pipeline.

What they said

Below is a look at what Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo wrote about Reese.

Seattle’s hulking slugger was the most impressive debut player from the 2026 class.

Assigned to Low-A Inland Empire, Reese slashed .440/.530/.667 with three home runs and eight doubles in 21 games. His 1.197 OPS was tied for the best among debut hitters. He ranked first in average, first in on-base percentage and fourth in slugging percentage while walking more often (19) than he struck out (12).

Reese’s under-the-hood metrics back up his surface-level production. His contact, in-zone contact and chase rates were all around average or slightly better than average among debut hitters. His top-end exit velocity data wasn’t as impressive as you might expect based on his college numbers—he had a 102.9 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in pro ball—but he continues to be a barrel machine and someone who regularly lifts the ball to his pull side. Reese has a bat path with tons of natural leverage that should allow him to consistently get to his power, even if he starts to show more miss tendencies against better pitching at higher levels.

While Reese’s performance in the batter’s box was exceptional, he has work to do defensively. He played third base in every inning he was in the field during his debut, but made 10 errors in 17 games [in the field], good for an .831 fielding percentage. He’ll need to improve his hands, his throwing accuracy and his internal clock to avoid moving across the diamond to first base.

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