Former Florida baseball outfielder Hayden Yost signed with the Seattle Mariners, the franchise that selected him in the fifth round of the 2026 MLB Draft with the No. 162 overall pick, on Saturday. The details of the deal have not yet been revealed on MLB’s draft tracker, while his slot value is set at $429,100.
Yost was not listed among the top-250 prospects in the class by any outlet ahead of the draft.
The Tampa, Florida, native played in 42 games, making 30 total starts distributed between right field (23), center field (six) and left field (one) during his junior campaign last spring, slashing .262/.369/.589, setting his career-high in slugging percentage as well as OPS (.958). He homered 10 times and amassed five doubles, 28 runs scored, 23 RBI, three sacrifice flies and three stolen bases in 107 at-bats, drawing nearly as many combined walks (12) and hit-by-pitches (eight) as strikeouts (21).
Yost posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with his glove across 70 defensive chances along with one outfield assist in 2026.
During his sophomore season, Yost played in 60 games with 55 starts spread between center field (44), right field (10) and left field (one). He slashed .259/.380/.392 for a .772 OPS in 189 at-bats, with four homers, 13 doubles, 39 runs, 38 RBI, 32 walks and 14 steals while tying for the team lead with five sacrifice flies and three sacrifice bunts.
He was also perfect in the field that year across 137 chances while making two assists. The 6-foot-1-inch outfielder was named the SEC Player of the Week on May 5.
During his true freshman campaign, Yost appeared in 32 games, making 14 starts in the outfield while slashing .284/.400/.358 across 67 at-bats with five doubles, 10 runs, four RBI and four stolen bases. He posted a .974 fielding percentage over 39 defensive chances in the outfield and tallied two assists that season.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Former Florida outfielder Hayden Yost signs with Seattle Mariners
