Mariners 1st-rounder Ace Reese is officially part of a loaded minor league roster

For all the struggles the Mariners are having right now, there may be no other organization as justified in using the well-worn adage of: "There's always tomorrow." Their farm system is annually among the best in all of baseball and following this year's trade deadline, Bleacher Report has them ranked at No. 2 in MLB. And aiding this ranking, is the roster they have put together in Single-A Inland Empire.

Helping draw attention to Single-A Inland Empire is Ace Reese, who the Mariners drafted 24th overall last month. Reese made his professional debut on Thursday and he had an immediate impact -- quite literally -- by hitting a single in one of his two at-bats. He also showed his defensive skills at third base, highlighted by this nice play to get the out at first:

Big things are understandably expected of Reese, with the Mariners having him as one of the best three hitters in the county and thankful he was still available to pick. However, there's plenty more than just him to keep on eye on with the 66ers roster. It's almost like a who's who of prospects all on one team, with the likes of Jake Brown, Henry Ford, Nick Becker and Mason Peters.

2026 draft already showing signs of being a tremendous success for the Mariners

Brown and Ford are fellow 2026 draft picks alongside Reese, selected in the second round (65th overall) and sixth round (191st overall) respectively. What's arguably most enticing about Brown is that his slugging prowess could rival Reese, whose power was in the running for the best in this year's draft class. In fact Brown couldn't have picked a better time to hit his first home run for the 66ers, than on the night Reese made his debut:

As for Ford, he was ranked at No. 148 by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America ahead of the draft, so the Mariners did well to snag him at 191. The guy offers an intriguing combination of size (6-foot-5 and 220 lbs), power and excellent defensive skills at first base. The 22-year-old is off to a fast start with the 66ers, having produced two home runs and six RBI in his first three games.

Turning to Becker and Peters, they're both picks from last year who are rising fast, currently ranked by MLB Pipeline at No. 8 and No. 13 respectively in the Mariners' farm system. Becker just looks like the real deal with his athleticism, hitting ability and defensive instincts. He still has things to work on (don't we all?) particularly his penchant for striking out, but the future looks very promising for the 19-year-old.

Finally, Peters has been even better than what was expected from him in his first season of Single-A ball, with an outstanding 1.43 ERA and 0.854 WHIP in 14 starts. He has racked up 68 Ks in 50.1 innings and his curveball specifically is as good as advertized.

Overall, if what's going on with Inland Empire is a glimpse into the future, then Mariners fans have every reason to be excited.

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