SEATTLE — The Mariners exclusively tapped into college talent throughout the 2026 MLB Draft, with the lone exception being a late-round high schooler that they do not anticipate will sign.
And this year’s selections were a reflection of what was available among this year’s crop and when each of their picks surfaced.
“We didn’t feel that the high school crop was as deep as it was in years past,” said Scott Hunter, Mariners vice president of amateur scouting, “and especially with only having the normal amount of picks. We didn’t have extra picks this year, so we knew there were going to be areas that we were going to be out on because the kids either financially didn’t fit for us or we’re just going to go too high.”
The two players that they do not anticipate retaining are 18th-rounder Dominic Santarelli and 20th-rounder Connor Shouse, both due to finances. Santaraelli is an outfielder out of St. Joseph Catholic Academy (Wisc.), and was their lone high school selection. He has a strong commitment to LSU. Shouse just finished his sophomore season as Texas Tech’s third baseman and is expected to return to improve his stock for 2027.
It’s relatively common for teams to not retain late-round picks, and that Seattle will move forward without these two does not overshadow the totality of the rest of their Draft, which kickstarted on Saturday with first-rounder Ace Reese out of Mississippi State.
Bigger picture, though, the Mariners — like the rest of the sport — were feeling the effects of the NIL era of college athletics, as athletes now have more financial leverage.
More on Mariners’ 2026 Draft:
Essentially, players at higher-profile programs with more spending ability could opt to return to school, where NIL money is available in ways it wasn’t just a half-decade ago. That impacted how Hunter and Seattle’s front office approached negotiations with prospective picks throughout this year’s Draft.
“We made a couple runs at certain players that we thought we might have a chance at signing,” Hunter said. “It didn’t work out, and instead of chasing it, we really stayed the course after that, which is why you saw so many college guys as we moved through the Draft.”
The Mariners were able to pocket roughly $460,000 after Day 1 by agreeing to terms under slot value for Reese ($3.5 million, down from $3,818,700) and fourth-rounder Trevor Lucas, a third baseman out of UNC Wilmington ($450,000, down from $591,700), a source told MLB.com. And they were expected to reallocate that money towards their Day 2 picks.
Here’s a breakdown of their Day 1 picks, with reaction from Hunter:
And here’s a breakdown of Day 2:
SEC talent remained a prevailing pool that Seattle dipped into at the outset of Sunday, as each of their first three picks on Day 2 played in the premier college conference last season — including outfielder Hayden Yost out of Florida (No. 162 overall), third baseman Henry Ford out of Tennessee (No. 191) and shortstop Ryan Wynn out of Georgia (No. 220). They then took catcher Mason Eckelman (No. 250), in the same round and out of the same school (Ohio State) as Dominic Canzone.
Player to watch: Henry Ford, 3B
This is where the Mariners went back to an avenue they’ve had arguably their most success — college pitchers — by taking four straight arms, beginning with Oregon State righty Wyatt Queen (11th round, No. 340 overall). He was followed by UNC Wilmington righty Connor Marshburn (12th round, No. 370 overall), Tarleton State righty Anthony Treto (13th round, No. 400 overall) and Florida Gulf Coast righty Chris Diaz (14th round, No. 430 overall). They then took Minnesota outfielder Charlie Sutherland (15th round, No. 460 overall).
Player to watch: Wyatt Queen, RHP
With Santarelli and Shouse not expected to sign, this group includes only University of South Carolina Upstate left-hander Chris Torres (16th round, No. 490 overall), North Carolina right-hander Matthew Matthijs (17th round, No. 520 overall) and Virginia Commonwealth outfielder Michael Petite.
Player to watch: Matthew Matthijs, RHP
