Red Sox Must Pounce on Mississippi State Slugger in Draft If Possible

Power is of the utmost importance

Mississippi State's Ace Reese (3) bats against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, March 28, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Drafting for need isn't usually the right move in Major League Baseball. To some degree, we're calling on the Boston Red Sox to make a small exception on Saturday.

The first round of the MLB Draft goes live in Philadelphia at around 2 p.m. ET, and the Red Sox have the 20th overall pick after making it to the playoffs a year ago. They've taken college players out of the SEC in both of their first two drafts under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and if given the chance, they should complete the trifecta.

That's because Mississippi State slugger Ace Reese is the picture-perfect fit for the future of the Red Sox, and if it's realistic that he could fall to that 20th overall spot on the board, Breslow shouldn't have a moment of pause.

Ace Reese would provide dramatic boost in power category

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. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Reese is considered a third-base prospect, but the knock on him is his fielding. Some scouts seem to think his future could be at first base, where Willson Contreras is entering his mid-thirties in Boston, but another possibility is left field, which is an easier position to play at Fenway Park for outfielders who aren't speedsters than most other ballparks.

Then, we come to the statistic that should matter more to the Red Sox in this first round than any other: home runs. Reese has hit 45 of them over the last two collegiate seasons for the Bulldogs, and that's come in only 119 games. Though we shouldn't compare college to MLB so directly, that's a per-162 rate of 61.2 bombs.

With a well-rounded triple-slash line of .336/.432/.721 (nearly identical to his 2025 campaign), Reese should be an impact bat relatively soon. The Red Sox might need righty bats more than lefties in general, but what they really need is someone to help them rise out of the bottom third of the sport in long balls.

Of course, 19 teams could have something to say about Reese coming to Boston before Breslow even gets to make his move. But this is an earnest plea: if the 21-year-old masher is still on the board, the Sox can't afford to pass.