Giants select RHP Jackson Flora 4th overall; highlights 21 selections over 2 days
San Francisco, Calif. - The San Francisco Giants selected RHP Jackson Flora out of the University of California, Santa Barbara with the fourth overall selection in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft.
Flora ranked as the top pitcher and the No. 4 overall prospect per MLB.com in this year’s draft. He was the consensus top pitching prospect, also ranking inside the top-10 overall according to Baseball America (No. 4), ESPN (No. 4) and The Athletic (No. 5).
The 6-5, 205-pounder is the first true college pitcher selected by the Giants in the first round since RHP Will Bednar was selected 14th overall out of Mississippi State in 2021. He is the Giants’ first draft pick out of UC Santa Barbara since they selected IF Zander Darby in the 12th round of the 2024 draft. This marks the second straight year in which a UC Santa Barbara pitcher was taken inside the top-four of the draft after the Angels selected RHP Tyler Bremner second overall last year.
Flora went 12-0 with a 1.06 ERA (12er, 102.0ip), 133 strikeouts and a 0.85 WHIP in 16 starts for the Gauchos last season. In three seasons at UCSB, Flora went 21-5 with a 2.49 ERA (62er, 224.0ip), 259 strikeouts and a 1.03 WHIP over 52 games (31 starts).
He was named the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year, Perfect Game College Pitcher of the Year, NCBWA District 9 Player of the Year, Big West Pitcher of the Year, a Dick Howser Trophy Finalist, a Baseball America National Pitcher of the Year Finalist and a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist.
A Bay Area native, Flora attended Foothill High School (Pleasanton, CA), the same high school as two-time World Series Champion, three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner with the Giants, Brandon Crawford.
With the 29th overall pick, the Giants selected LHP Carson Bolemon out of Southside Christian High School in Simpsonville, SC. The left-hander went 7-0 with a 0.17 ERA (1er, 41.1ip) as a senior at Southside Christian, striking out 91 batters in 41.1 innings and pitching five shutouts and two no-hitters. He led the Sabres to their fifth consecutive state title in 2026 and was named South Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year both as a junior and senior.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder pitched in the 2025 U-18 Baseball World Cup in Japan last September, tallying 17 strikeouts in 11.0 scoreless innings over two starts. On September 6, 2025, he struck out 11 batters against Chinese Taipei while pitching the first Baseball World Cup no-hitter for the United States in 30 years. The southpaw was ranked the No. 24 draft prospect on MLB Pipeline.
With their second round (55th overall), the Giants selected RHP Kaden Waechter out of Jesuit High School (Tampa, FL). Waechter is the son of six-year MLB veteran Doug Waechter, who played for the Rays (2003-2006), Marlins (2008) and Royals (2009). The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was the 57th overall prospect per MLB Pipeline. He went 6-3 with a 1.15 ERA (10er, 61.0ip) and 82 strikeouts in 13 games at Jesuit High School. Waechter threw 3.2 scoreless innings for the Team USA U–18 National Team in 2025 (was teammates with SF’s earlier selection Carson Bolemon on Team USA).
The Giants selected OF Peyton Bonds, the nephew of Giants legend Barry Bonds, in the third round (90th overall) out of Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ). The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder was the 81st overall prospect per MLB Pipeline. Bonds slashed .352/.436/.535 (.972 OPS) with eight doubles, six homers, and 29 RBI across 36 games with Rutgers in 2026 and struck out just 12.7% of the time. He was also teammates with OF Trevor Cohen, San Francisco’s second-round draft pick in last year’s draft, at Rutgers.
In the fourth round (118th overall), the Giants selected RHP Carlos Martinez out of Hofstra University. The 6-foot-2, 210 pounder went 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA (28er, 76.1ip) with 96 strikeouts and a 1.18 WHIP in 13 starts at Hofstra in 2026. He became the third pitcher in program history to reach 200 career strikeouts.
GIANTS DRAFT SELECTIONS FROM DAY 2:
With their first pick of Day 2, the Giants selected IF Luke Nixon in the fifth round (150th overall) out of North Carolina State. Nixon is the son of 2004 World Series Champion Trot Nixon. The 5-10, 165 pound infielder is coming off a season at NC State in which he was named All-ACC Second Team after starting all 56 games for the Wolfpack. He hit .367 (79x215) in his breakout 2026 season with 59 runs, 16 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 45 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a 1.048 OPS.
In the sixth round (179th overall), the Giants selected RHP Eric Nachtsheim out of McNeese State in Louisiana. In 20 appearances (nine starts) with the Cowboys in 2026, the right-hander went 8-4 with three saves and a 3.39 ERA (35er, 93.0ip) while setting a school record with 129 strikeouts en route to being named the Southland Conference Relief Pitcher of the Year. The 6-4, 235-pounder led all NCAA Division I pitchers with 98 strikeouts via fastball as a senior in 2026 and became McNeese State’s highest pitching prospect since 2005 first-rounder Jacob Marceaux.
In round seven (208th overall), the Giants selected LHP Beau Bryans from Jacksonville State (AL). The 6-0, 200 pounder went 7-1 with a 3.66 ERA (27er, 66.1ip), 78 strikeouts and a 1.46 WHIP in 15 starts for Jacksonville State this season. Bryans was the 200th ranked draft prospect per Baseball America.
The Giants selected RHP Cody Brasch out of Louisiana-Lafayette with their eighth round pick (238th overall). The 6-3, 205 pounder went 6-3 with a 2.77 ERA (23er, 74.2ip), six saves, 82 strikeouts and a 0.99 WHIP in 22 games (eight starts) for the Ragin’ Cajuns this season. Brasch was named Newcomer of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association while also earning second-team All-Sun Belt honors.
The Giants’ ninth-round selection (268th overall) was IF Mike Mancini from Vanderbilt University. In 53 games with Vanderbilt as a senior, the infielder slashed .305/.433/.595 (1.028 OPS) with 13 doubles, 15 homers, 44 RBI, 43 walks and 20 stolen bases. He led the Commodores in walks and stolen bases and was tied for the team lead in homers. The 5-11, 180-pounder was named to the ABCA/Rawlings Southeast All-Region Second Team, All-SEC Second Team and All-Defensive Team as a senior in 2026. He became the first Giants selection out of Vanderbilt since 2016, when the Giants selected Commodores pair Bryan Reynolds (second round) and Jason Delay (11th round).
With their round 10 selection, the Giants took RHP Ian Korn out of West Virginia University (298th overall). The 6-0, 205-pound Korn recorded a 3.39 ERA (30er, 79.2ip) over 24 games (three starts) in his lone season at WVU in 2026. He earned his graduate degree in Executive Sport Management at WVU following four seasons at Division II Seton Hill from 2022-2025, where he was named the 2025 NCBWA, ABCA, and D2CCA Division II National Pitcher of the Year after posting a 1.81 ERA (17er, 84.1ip) in 14 games (all starts) his senior season.
In the 11th round (328th overall), the Giants selected OF Charlie Bussey III out of Francis Marion University in Florence, SC. Bussey hit .489 (113x231) with 118 runs, 22 doubles, 21 home runs, 77 RBI, 40 stolen bases and a 1.470 OPS in 60 games for Francis Marion. The 6-2, 205 pounder was named the ABCA Rawlings NCAA Div. II Player of the Year, the Conference Carolinas Male Athlete of the Year, the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference in 2026.
The Giants’ 12th round (358th overall) selection was OF Josiah Kemp from Choctaw High School in Oklahoma. The 6-1, 185 pound outfielder hit .509 (56x110) with five homers, 45 RBI and a 1.438 OPS in 35 games as a senior at Choctaw. He struck out just eight times in 135 plate appearances (6%) and stole 21 bases. Kemp is the nephew of three-time MLB All-Star outfielder Matt Kemp.
With their round 13 selection, the Giants took LHP Colin Fisher out of the University of Arkansas (388th overall). The 6-3, 225-pound lefty posted a 5.59 ERA (35er, 56.1ip) with 58 strikeouts and just 17 walks over 18 games (10 starts) in his 2026 season at Arkansas. The junior stood out with a one-hit, complete-game shutout on February 22 this year versus Xavier, which earned him SEC Pitcher of the Week honors while he was also named the NCBWA National Co-Pitcher of the Week.
In the 14th round (418th overall), the Giants selected RHP Alex Solis out of the University of Houston. The 6-1, 190 pounder had a 5.50 ERA (23er, 37.2ip), 37 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP in 23 games (one start) at Houston.
The Giants selected University of Oregon IF Drew Smith in the 15th round (448th overall). The 6-2, 201 pounder hit .338 with 49 runs, nine doubles, 16 home runs, 64 RBI and a 1.047 OPS in 61 games for the Ducks in 2026 while being named All-Big Ten First Team and to the conference’s All-Defensive Team. In four seasons at Oregon, Smith slashed .330/.423/.531 (.963 OPS) with 124 runs, 33 doubles, six triples, 28 homers and 136 RBI over 182 games.
With their round 16 selection, the Giants took IF Dalton Wentz out of Wake Forest University (478th overall). The 6-2, 215 pound sophomore was ranked as the 165th draft prospect per MLB Pipeline and slashed .311/.404/.599 (1.003 OPS) with 33 doubles, a triple, 31 home runs, and 102 RBI over his two seasons with the Demon Deacons (117 games). He was named a First Team Freshman All-American by both Baseball America and Perfect Game after his freshmen campaign in 2025.
In round 17 (508th overall), the Giants selected OF Tanner Mally out of Western Michigan University. The 6-0, 185 pounder won the batting title in Division I, hitting .446 with 58 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, 19 RBI, 19 stolen bases and a 1.082 OPS in 50 games. Mally was a NCBWA All-America Third Team member, a College Baseball Foundation All-America Honorable Mention, a Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist and a All-MAC First Team member.
The Giants selected LHP Ryder Brooks out of UC Irvine in the 18th round (538th overall. The 6-3, 200-pounder went 2-3 with a 4.86 ERA (18er, 33.1ip) and 41 strikeouts in 18 games (one start) with the Anteaters as a junior in 2026.
In the penultimate round of the draft, the Giants selected Gonzaga IF Mikey Bell (568th overall). The 6-2, 200 pounder was named WCC Player of the Year each of the last two seasons. In 2026, Bell hit .378 with 52 runs, 24 doubles, nine home runs, 47 RBI and a 1.059 OPS in 54 games for the Bulldogs.
To wrap up the draft, the Giants selected RHP JP Robertson out of Mississippi in the 20th round (598th overall). The 6-0, 190-pounder went 5-2 with a 4.34 ERA (18er, 37.1ip) with 49 strikeouts in 22 games (one start) with Ole Miss.