SEATTLE – The Mariners are set to make 4 selections on the first day of the 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
In addition to selecting 3B Ace Reese out of Mississippi State University the 24th overall pick with their first selection earlier today, Seattle has also made the following selections so far on Day 1:
- OF Jake Brown (Louisiana State University) - 2nd round (65th overall)
- RHP Nathan Taylor (University of Cincinnati) - 3rd round (101st overall)
Brown, 21, batted .309 (51x165) with 43 runs, 7 doubles, 16 home runs, 49 RBI 23 walks, and 9 stolen bases while reaching base at a .404 clip and slugging .642 during his junior season at Louisiana State University in 2026. He went 9-for-10 in stolen base attempts during the 2026 season. His 16 home runs in 2026 ranked 2nd most on the team and his .642 SLG ranked 3rd while his 9 stolen bases were 2nd most. On March 6, Brown racked up 13 total bases to tie for the 3rd most recorded in a single game in the SEC during the 2026 season.
Across 3 seasons with LSU, the 6-foot-2, 206-pound outfielder combined for a .304 (132x434) batting average, amassing 111 runs, 20 doubles, 2 triples, 28 home runs, 110 RBI. Brown batted a team-high .385 for LSU at the 2025 College World Series as they went on to win their 8th national title.
Brown is ranked as the 59th overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. He attended Sulphur high school (Sulphur, LA) and was ranked as the 1st overall baseball prospect in Louisiana by Perfect Game in 2023.
Taylor, 21, went 7-3 with a 4.25 ERA (36 ER, 90. 0 IP) and 115 strikeouts to 27 walks over 16 games started during his junior year at the University of Cincinnati in 2026. The righty’s 115 strikeouts in his final season broke Cincinatti’s single-season strikeout record. He finished the 2026 season with the 4th-best ERA, the 5th-most strikeouts, and the 7th-lowest opponent batting average (.235) in the Big-12, earning him First Team All-Big 12 honors for the 2026 season.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander made 49 appearances (47 starts) for the Cincinnati Bearcats over 3 seasons, going 22-7 while posting a 4.25 ERA (118 ER, 249.2 IP) with 115 strikeouts and 27 walks. Taylor closed out his collegiate career as Cincinnati’s all-time leader in wins (22) and third all-time in strikeouts with 276. He earned All-Big 12 honors each of his 3 seasons at Cincinnati.
Taylor is originally from Amelia, Ohio and attended West Clermont High School (Batavia, OH), where he was a four-year varsity letter winner.
The Mariners will make their final selection of the day with the 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.