The Mariners tend to draft really well and that was certainly the case in 2026, though the failure to sign eighteenth round pick Dominic Santarelli and twentieth rounder Connor Shouse meant that they didn't quite spend their full bonus pool. Still, they spread the money around perhaps better than any other team, avoiding the practice of handing out minuscule four figure bonuses that many teams employ (or in the case of the Braves, three figure) and instead giving all but one pick at least $150,000. In fact, they handed out thirteen bonuses of $200,000 or more, making for the most balanced draft of any team. Additionally, unlike most teams, they did not treat the $2,500 contingency bonus as part of the bonus, and when they gave full slot value, they actually gave full slot value. Player-wise, the top of the draft was very hitter-heavy with seven bats in their first eight picks. They targeted hitters with strong exit velocities and other traits indicating the ability to hit above their draft position, looking more towards offense than defense with very few players who can stick up the middle.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-24: 3B Ace Reese, Mississippi State
Slot value: $3.82 million. Signing bonus: $3.5 million ($318,700 below slot value).
My rank: #17. MLB Pipeline: #18. ESPN: #17.
Seattle got tremendous value with their first pick, bringing in Ace Reese (elite baseball name) on an under-slot deal at #24 despite rumors of teams interested throughout the teens. Reese began his career at Houston where he was more good than great, then transferred to Mississippi State after one season and took the SEC by storm, slashing .341/.425/.719 with 45 home runs over 118 games in his two seasons in Starkville. He looks the part of a slugger at 6'4", 220 pounds, and brings all of the batted ball data to back up his gaudy home run totals. It's easy plus power that comes naturally, to the pull side, and in the air, helping him tap all of it in games. In fact, he and Mississippi's Judd Utermark were the only two SEC players to hit over 20 home runs in each of the last two seasons. His left handed swing is a thing of beauty, getting long through the zone and driving through the baseball while still getting the right angles to put serious air under it and use his power effectively. That power is ahead of his hitting ability, combining a relatively high chase rate with fringy pure bat to ball that led to a 21.6% strikeout rate in 2026, rising to 24.8% in SEC play and 30.6% in the Cape Cod League last summer. Still, Reese has managed to hit everywhere he has gone, including a strong .303/.361/.485 slash line on the Cape despite the strikeout rate. The Mariners have high confidence that he will continue to tap his power and get on base in pro ball, though he may be more of a .250 hitter than a .280 hitter when all is said and done. The East Texas native has worked hard to stick at third base and the Mariners would like to see that work out, but he probably fits more as a first baseman or left fielder in pro ball with below average speed and choppier glovework. It's the bat Seattle is buying, with some of the best offensive upside in the class especially once you get out of the top handful of picks.
2-65: OF Jake Brown, Louisiana State
Slot value: $1.38 million. Signing bonus: $1.38 million.
My rank: #89. MLB Pipeline: #59. ESPN: #64.
Jake Brown has a bit of a split camp and could be an interesting developmental project. A stud two-way prospect out of high school in Louisiana that drew significant attention from big league teams, he gave up pitching at LSU and grew into one of the Tigers' most reliable bats. Brown began the 2026 season on a tear and pushed his way into top 50 conversations, but hit poorly in conference play (.214/.325/.443) and broken his hamate bone in April, ending his season after 42 games. He's a professional hitter with above average bat to ball and feel for the barrel, helping him consistently drive the ball to all fields and make the most of his average raw power. He works counts well, and ultimately makes for a very tough out no matter where he goes. There is some concern that his strong numbers could be a bit of a mirage after his weaker run through conference play, where his strikeout rate rose from 9.1% out of conference to 26.2% in conference, and the hand injury cut short his chance to turn that around and prove it a 19 game-sample fluke. Brown is a sneaky athlete who plays a better right field than you might expect, with the above average arm from his pitching days making him a well rounded defender in the corner. If the rough SEC run was indeed a fluke, then his penchant for finding barrels and getting on base could make him a 15-20 home run, high on-base type who could steal a couple of bases and play a solid right field. He does, however, run platoon risk and probably has a median outcome of that of a lefty platoon bat.
3-101: RHP Nathan Taylor, Cincinnati
Slot value: $778,200. Signing bonus: $778,200.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #215. ESPN: #242.
Seattle develops pitching as well as anybody and Nathan Taylor plays right into their wheelhouse. One of the most reliable starting pitchers in Cincinnati history and the school's all time leader in wins and strikeouts, he leaves the school 22-7 with a 4.25 ERA and a 276/96 strikeout to walk ratio over 249.2 innings in three seasons. Taylor sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and touches 97, showing average life but elite extension that gives Seattle plenty to work with. He makes his money with a plus slider with late bite, pitching heavily off of it and finishing off the majority of his hitters with it. There's a changeup in there too, but he doesn't use it as much and it will need further development. The 6'5" righty is built like a workhorse starter and threw 72.2, 87, and 90 innings over the last three seasons. Taylor has the durability and, increasingly, the command to stick in a rotation long term. The arsenal is a bit more relievery for now, so Seattle will work to bring a little more life out of his fastball and separate his changeup a little more from the rest of the arsenal. With his size and elite extension, it should be something the Mariners can figure out and the Cincinnati-area native could become a #3 or #4 starter in relatively short order.
4-129: 3B Trevor Lucas, UNC Wilmington
Slot value: $591,700. Signing bonus: $450,000 ($141,700 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
This is a nice pull for the Mariners, grabbing a bit of a sleeper bat in Trevor Lucas. He began his career at Gaston College outside of Charlotte, then transferred back home to UNC Wilmington after one season. He was solid but unremarkable as a sophomore in 2025, then took a step forward as a junior in 2026 to hit .312/.429/.556 with twelve home runs and more walks (38) than strikeouts (35) in 58 games. Lucas isn't huge, but he has a whippy bat and good feel for the barrel to consistently make the most of his average raw power and drive the ball to the gaps and over fences. A very disciplined hitter, he rarely chases and runs strong contact numbers to help him strike out just 13.5% of the time in 2026. He didn't face a terribly difficult schedule in 2026 and some teams may qualify his strong numbers by pointing to that level of competition, but the Mariners believe in the bat and see a potential 15-20 home run hitter with strong on-base percentages if he hits his ceiling. Lucas is a strong defender as well, with plenty of arm strength and steady glovework to stick at the hot corner and provide value there. Getting him here in the fourth round for fifth round money is nice value and he could surprise some people as he works his way up.
5-162: OF Hayden Yost, Florida
Slot value: $429,100. Signing bonus: $415,000 ($14,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The older brother of Tigers prospect Jordan Yost, Hayden spent three years at Florida and got better each year. There's above average power in his 6'1", 200 pound frame, with the ability to drive the ball to the pull side with a smooth left handed swing. Yost dealt with injuries in 2026 and was limited to 42 games, but still more than doubled his career home run total by knocking ten and slugging .589, nearly two hundred points higher than his previous career high. He also runs good contact rates and struck out at a solid 16% rate in 2026, and he was one of the few Gators hitters to swing well in conference play with a .302/.385/.755 line on SEC weekends, including blasting eight home runs in 21 games. Seattle also liked what they saw in the Cape Cod League last summer and believe that had he been fully healthy and received more consistent playing time in 2026, he would have broken out further with the bat and gone much higher in the draft. His brother Jordan is a skinnier, hit over power type, while Hayden increasingly looks like he has Jordan's hitting ability to go along with a more physical frame and better power. The Tampa native mainly played right field for the Gators, but has seen time all over the outfield and has the look of a useful corner outfield bat going forward. Like many in this Seattle draft class, he could develop into a much better hitter than many expect.
6-191: 3B Henry Ford, Tennessee
Slot value: $335,900. Signing bonus: $335,900.
My rank: #128. MLB Pipeline: #148. ESPN: #183.
Based on the rankings, it may look like I'm the high guy on Henry Ford, but I only ranked 132 players this year so he fell near the bottom of the list and I saw him fitting more in this sixth round range of the draft as it were. Ford has been on the shuttle between Charlottesville and East Tennessee, growing up and beginning high school in the former but transferring to complete high school at the Baylor School in Chattanooga. He returned home for college and played two seasons at UVA, then went back to the Volunteer State to spend his junior season at Tennessee. Ford was one of the Cavaliers' best hitters in his two years, blasting 28 home runs and hitting .348/.414/.587 in 111 games to earn top five round interest as an eligible sophomore in 2025. Contact and positional concerns left him undrafted, and when head coach Brian O'Connor took the job at Mississippi State, he accepted Tony Vitello's offer to play at Tennessee. Vitello subsequently left to manage the San Francisco Giants, and Ford hit a career-low .293 with a career-high twenty home runs under Josh Elander in Knoxville in 2026. At this point, the book has gotten pretty clear on Ford. He's an aggressive hitter with average bat to ball that enables him to post strong offensive numbers despite the tendency to chase. He likes to drive up through the ball to the pull side, where his above average power has helped him knock 48 career home runs despite playing two years in UVA's pitcher-friendly Disharoon Park. The swing can get grooved at times and cause mishits, but he has the power to make those count and still keeps the swing and miss down. He hit well in the Cape Cod League (.267/.349/.467, 20.9% strikeout rate) but ran into real strikeout concerns for the first time in his career in SEC play this year (.256/.317/.519, 26.8% K). Ford has seen time both at first base and left field, and the Mariners seemed optimistic in his defense by drafting him as a third baseman. A below average runner, he likely fits at first base long term and will really have to hit given his right handed hitting profile. He is old for a college junior and turned 22 shortly after the draft.
7-220: SS Ryan Wynn, Georgia
Slot value: $266,100. Signing bonus: $350,000 ($83,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Ryan Wynn was overshadowed by more famous hitters in a dangerous Georgia lineup, allowing the Mariners to swoop in and get him here in the seventh round while paying him sixth round money. Wynn began his career at Wofford, where he played sparingly as a freshman before hitting .331 as a sophomore and earning the opportunity to transfer back home to Georgia. His bat didn't miss a beat with the jump in competition as he hit .324/.386/.619 with nine home runs in 53 games (including .333/.368/.704 in SEC play), even if he was often coming off the bench. An aggressive hitter, Wynn works with a quick uppercut that makes the most of his fringy raw power and covers the plate well, sending line drives around the field with consistency while turning on one every now and then. He does have a tendency to chase, leading to just nine walks in 2026 at a tiny 5.7% rate, but that didn't hurt him at all even against talented SEC weekend arms. The Mariners believe if he stays in the zone more consistently, he can make the most of his strong bat to ball and tap even more power in games, potentially threatening for home run totals in the teens. The Atlanta-area native played mostly second base at Georgia after seeing more time at shortstop at Wofford, and ultimately looks like a utility infielder in the long run.
11-340: RHP Wyatt Queen, Oregon State
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $275,000 ($125,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Seattle began the second half of the draft with a bit of a splash, giving Wyatt Queen seventh round money to sign here in the eleventh. He's a local kid coming home, a native of Marysville just thirty miles north of Seattle where he attended Lake Stevens High School. Queen began his career at local Everett JC just across the Snohomish River, then transferred to Oregon State after one season and has been a valuable late inning arm in Corvallis. The fastball is average in the low 90's and touching 96 in short stints, but he makes his money with a pair of plus breaking balls that miss a ton of bats. His power slider gets late bite and hitters rarely seem to pick it up, while his curveball has short, tight, downer action. A fringy changeup rounds things out. The 6'2" righty has a stiffer delivery and doesn't create much extension, unlike many Mariners targets, but he repeats it pretty well and has fringy command. The whole package worked really well at Oregon State, where he pushed his strikeout rate over 40% as a junior and held a 2.49 ERA over 21 games (one start). He's probably still a reliever in pro ball, though Seattle may believe enough in his size and the depth of his arsenal to give him a shot to start. He's fairly young for a college junior and turned 21 barely a month before the draft.
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