STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball star third baseman Ace Reese was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 2026 MLB Draft on June 11.
He was chosen with the No. 24 pick in the first round.
Reese is the Bulldogs’ first position player picked in the first round since Justin Foscue in 2020. Reese was ranked as the No. 18 prospect by MLB.com before the draft.
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Here’s what Reese brings to the Mariners.
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
Mississippi State infielder and Ferriss Trophy finalist Ace Reese, left, poses for a picture with the inaugural trophy winner Stephen Head during the Ferriss Trophy award ceremony at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson, Miss. on Monday, May 18, 2026.
(Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
Mississippi State infielder and Ferriss Trophy finalist Ace Reese, left, poses for a picture with the inaugural trophy winner Stephen Head during the Ferriss Trophy award ceremony at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson, Miss. on Monday, May 18, 2026.
(Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
MSU Bulldog Ace Reese after a big swing at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, MS on Friday April 3rd, 2026.
(Austin Frayser/Special to the Clarion Ledger)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
Mississippi State’s Ace Reese (3) bats against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
(Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion Ledger)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
MSU Bulldogs Ace Reese (3) watches as he fouls off a ball at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, MS on Tuesday March 24th, 2026.
(Austin Frayser/Special to the Clarion Ledger)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
MSU Bulldogs third baseman Ace Reese (3) makes a throw to first at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, MS on Tuesday March 24th, 2026.
(Austin Frayser/Special to the Clarion Ledger)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
MSU Bulldogs third baseman Ace Reese (3) looks to throw down a baserunner at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, MS on Tuesday March 24th, 2026.
(Austin Frayser/Special to the Clarion Ledger)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese (3) looks to throw out a Jackson State runner at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Miss., on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
(Austin Frayser/Special to the Clarion Ledger)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
Mississippi State University baseball player Ace Reese (3) prepares to bat during the annual Governor’s Cup played against the University of Mississippi at Trustmark Park on April 22, 2025, in Pearl, Miss.
(Sarah Warnock/Special to Clarion Ledger)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
Mississippi State Bulldogs’ Ace Reese (3) complains after getting stuck out as Auburn Tigers baseball takes on Mississippi State Bulldogs at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala., on Friday, April 25, 2025.
(Jake Crandall/ Advertiser, Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
Mississippi State baseball’s Ace Reese against Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional final at Dick Howser Stadium on Sunday, June 1, 2025
(Liam Rooney/Tallahassee Democrat)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese (3) fields a bunt by Texas A&M second baseman Ben Royo (10) but makes a wild throw to first in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met.
(Gary Cosby Jr., Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese (3) fields a bunt by Texas A&M second baseman Ben Royo (10) but makes a wild throw to first in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met.
(Gary Cosby Jr., Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
Mississippi State Bulldogs’ Ace Reese (3) celebrates his home run as Auburn Tigers baseball takes on Mississippi State Bulldogs at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala., on Friday, April 25, 2025.
(Jake Crandall/ Advertiser)
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Ace Reese, Mississippi State baseball star third baseman, 2026 MLB Draft prospect
Mississippi State University baseball player Ace Reese (3) readies himself to run for second base while Will Furniss (36) of the University of Mississippi mans first during the Governor’s Cup at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss. on April 22, 2025, in Pearl, Miss.
(Sarah Warnock/Special to the Clarion Ledger)
What Ace Reese brings to Seattle Mariners in 2026 MLB Draft
Reese transferred to Mississippi State in 2025 after his freshman season at Houston.
In his two seasons at MSU, Reese was a multi-tool, left-handed hitter who can hit to all sides of the ballpark with plus-power.
He joined Mississippi State legends Rafael Palmeiro and Will Clark as the only three players in program history with back-to-back 20-home run seasons.
Reese hit a career-high 24 homers in 2026, the fifth-most in MSU history, and was a two-time All-SEC first-team selection.
There will be questions about Reese’s positional fit in the MLB. He only played third base at Mississippi State.
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Reese is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds.
MORE: Inside Ace Reese’s transfer to Mississippi State baseball, winning SEC Newcomer of Year
Ace Reese highlights, strengths, weaknesses at Mississippi State
Reese, a Canton, Texas native, had a tendency in his two seasons at Mississippi State to play his best at the end of the season when the weather was warmest. In the 2026 Athens Super Regional, Reese’s last two games at MSU, he was 6-for-12 with two home runs, two RBIs and four runs.
Reese hits lefties and righties fairly evenly and improved his walk percentage by 4.1 to 14% in 2026.
However, Reese’s strikeout rate also took a slight bump in 2026 to 21.6%, and he’ll need to improve some of his swing decisions. If Reese can’t handle third base, he’ll likely have to play first base or corner outfield. Reese increased his fielding percentage from .885 in 2025 to .935 in 2026.
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Ace Reese stats at Mississippi State
Here are Reese’s stats across 118 games at Mississippi State, all of which were starts:
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Pros, cons of Seattle Mariners picking Mississippi State’s Ace Reese in 2026 MLB Draft
