SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants focused on stockpiling pitching on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft, selecting young hurlers with four of their first five picks on Saturday.
The haul was headlined by UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora (No. 4 overall) and Southside Christian High School (S.C.) left-hander Carson Bolemon (No. 29 overall), who was taken with the Competitive Balance pick the Giants received from the Guardians as part of the Patrick Bailey trade in May.
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The infusion of young arms should help balance out a Giants farm system that had been heavy on position players and light on pitching depth, though senior director of amateur scouting Michael Holmes said that wasn’t necessarily the organization's strategy coming into the Draft.
“In this case, that’s the way the board fell,” Holmes said. “I wouldn’t say it was a specific kind of plan or approach to start the day, but obviously, to add some pitching to the system is a real exciting thing.”
More on the Giants' 2026 Draft:
Here is a look at the four players the Giants selected after Flora on Day 1 of this year’s Draft:
Carson Bolemon, LHP
- Round 1, Pick 29
- Bats/throws: R/L
- School: Southside Christian High School (S.C.)
- Calling Card: Bolemon, MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 Draft prospect, didn’t allow a run during his junior season at Southside Christian, which culminated in a 19-strikeout no-hitter to help deliver his squad a 3A State Championship. The 19-year-old was named the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year for his spring, striking out 135 batters in 55 1/3 innings. The hulking lefty -- 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds -- is committed to Wake Forest, but the Giants are confident that they’ll be able to sign him and bring him into the organization this summer.
- Quote: “Just a big, strong physical kid. Very athletic. He swung the bat in high school and was a really good hitter. Elite makeup. Two distinct type breaking balls that he can land both for strikes. We think it's a really polished high school pitching kind of product. But we think there’s some things that we can help him with that he’ll be able to continue to improve.” – Holmes
Kaden Waechter, RHP
- Round 2, Pick 55
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Jesuit High School (Fla.)
- Calling Card: Waechter logged a 1.15 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 61 innings in 13 outings as a senior at Jesuit. The 6-foot-3 right-hander averages 93 mph with his fastball, though he can reach back for 95-96 mph and could have more in the tank down the line. He is the son of former Rays pitcher Doug Waechter and is a Florida State recruit.
- Quote: “His father was a Major Leaguer, so we have bloodlines, but he’s a really, really good athlete. We really liked the way he moves on the mound. We like his mix. Two distinct fastballs, kind of one that goes up and one that sinks with a slider and a change. A really good strikethrower.” – Holmes
Peyton Bonds, OF
- Round 3, Pick 90
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Rutgers
- Calling Card: The nephew of Giants legend Barry Bonds, Peyton posted a .352/.436/.535 slash line with six home runs in 36 games at Rutgers this year. He has a good feel for hitting, producing plenty of bat speed and high exit velocities.
- Quote: “Anytime you get a guy named Bonds, you’re crazy if you don’t get excited.” –- Giants manager Tony Vitello
Carlos Martinez, RHP
- Round 4, Pick 118
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Hofstra
- Calling Card: Martinez sat out the 2025 campaign due to Tommy John surgery, but he returned to pitch well as a redshirt junior this year, going 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA and 96 strikeouts over 76 1/3 innings in 13 starts.
- Quote: “We liked him quite a bit last year, even though we didn’t see him pitch last year. But we liked him coming into the year. We had some conversations with him last year, and he really wanted to go back to school. He did, and he did exactly what we thought he was going to do. Just another guy that we’ve watched his progression over the last couple of years and feel like he’s about ready to take off.” -- Holmes