Teams are never going to be afraid to select pitchers at the top of the MLB Draft. Especially when somebody like Jackson Flora is available. So, the San Francisco Giants took full advantage and took Flora, a right-handed pitcher out of UC Santa Barbara, with the No. 4 overall pick. A massive moment for Flora, his family, and the UC Santa Barbara program.
Flora entered the 2026 college baseball season as one of the game’s top pitchers. He delivered on the expectations and then some. In 16 appearances, Flora recorded 102 innings to the tune of a 1.02 ERA. Opposing batters struck out 133 times against Flora, and walked on just 32 occasions.
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More than one earned run was attached to Flora’s name in only two starts. Long Beach State got two against the now-first-round pick, while CSUN put up four.
Double-digit strikeouts were recorded in four different games for Flora. No performance was better than a complete game shutout vs. UC Riverside. The Highlanders had just two hits but struck out 12 times and didn’t get a walk. UC Santa Barbara found a way to win the game 1-0.
What MLB Draft analyst are saying about Jackson Flora
Ahead of the draft, MLB Pipeline produced a scouting report on Flora. He came out as one of the top prospects available, finishing No. 5 in their rankings. Pipeline also gave a breakdown of what his pitch arsenal looks like.
“Flora’s combination of size and arm strength should intrigue most teams,” the report said. “The 6-foot-5 right-hander already offers premium velocity, with a fastball that sits in the 96-97 mph range and regularly touches triple digits, with good shape, carry and armside ride to it. He’ll employ two different sliders, both of which can flash plus.
“There’s a slower 78-81 mph sweeper with a lot of horizontal depth and also a harder, more gyro-like traditional slider, thrown 86-89 mph. He has plus feel to spin and just needs to gain a little bit more consistency with shape. His hard changeup is coming along, a kick change with downer splitter depth that now flashes plus.”
Grades were attached to the scouting report as well. Flora’s fastball is by far their favorite pitch, coming in at a 70 on the 80-grade scale. Both the slider and changeup were at 55, being viewed as similar pitches for Flora. Control, something Pipeline did not discuss in the report, was at 55.