Giants nab top pitcher, Bay Area native Flora with 4th pick in '26 Draft

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants snagged a local product with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, selecting right-hander Jackson Flora out of UC Santa Barbara.

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The selection will be a homecoming for the 21-year-old Flora, a Bay Area native who grew up cheering for the Giants. Like franchise icon Brandon Crawford, Flora hails from Pleasanton, Calif., and attended Foothill High School before emerging as the top college arm in the 2026 Draft class.

“I don't even know how to explain it,” Flora said during a Zoom call with reporters on Saturday. “It's been a dream of mine since I could remember, since I started playing baseball. The first team I ever played on was the Giants as a Little Leaguer. I was obviously stoked, really excited. I grew up going to Giants games at AT&T Park and then Oracle Park. I've always been a big fan, so this is really just a dream come true. I still haven't quite wrapped my head around it, but I'm stoked.”

Flora hasn’t met Crawford personally, but he said the four-time Gold Glove Award-winning shortstop was one of his favorite Giants players as a kid, along with Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong and Jeff Samardzija. He has fond memories of watching some of the most seminal moments in franchise history, including the Giants’ three World Series title runs in 2010, ‘12 and ‘14, Cain’s 2012 perfect game and Lincecum’s no-hitters in 2013 and ‘14.

“A lot of my baseball memories revolve around San Francisco,” Flora said.

The Giants maintained that they wouldn’t draft for need this year, but their farm system was already loaded with young shortstops like Josuar Gonzalez (San Francisco’s No. 1 prospect and No. 15 overall, per MLB Pipeline), Luis Hernández (Giants' No. 2, No. 34 overall), Jhonny Level (Giants' No. 3, No. 49 overall) and Gavin Kilen (Giants' No. 4), so it made sense to target a frontline arm that could move quickly and bolster the organization’s pitching depth.

“I’m ready to go,” Flora said. “Being drafted is awesome, but it’s not the end goal. The goal is to play in the big leagues. That’s what I’m focused on now, just getting myself ready, continuing to get better. Whenever they need me, I’ll be ready.”

The Giants were originally projected to select 15th based on their 81-81 record last year, but they ended up jumping up to No. 4 thanks to a lucky break in the MLB Draft Lottery in December. It marked their highest selection since they took catcher Joey Bart with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018.

Flora is only the sixth player to be selected inside the top five by the Giants, joining Will Clark (No. 2 overall in 1985), Matt Williams (No. 3 in 1986), Jason Grilli (No. 4 in 1997), Buster Posey (No. 5 in 2008) and Bart.

Flora, MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 Draft prospect and top pitching prospect, had a season for the ages for UCSB in 2026. In 16 starts, Flora posted a minuscule 1.06 ERA and struck out a school-record 133 batters across 102 innings. The right-hander set that record with nine strikeouts in a regional game against Holy Cross.

For a school that has produced pitching talents such as Shane Bieber, Tyler Bremner and Dillon Tate over the years, Flora has a chance to give Santa Barbara an even more impressive group of professional pitchers.

Pipeline’s top pitching prospect and only one of two in its top 10, Flora has an impressive all-around profile that gives him the floor and upside MLB organizations covet. Coming from a 6-foot-5 frame, Flora has an elite fastball (70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, per Pipeline) that sits in the upper-90s and features good shape.

While the heater is Flora’s bread-and-butter pitch, it’s only one impressive part of his tool kit. Flora throws a sharp gyro slider in the upper-80s, a slower sweeper that sits closer to 80 mph and a kick changeup. Those all grade out as 55 pitches, per Pipeline, and Flora commands them all well (55 control grade).

“The kick change is the newest pitch,” Flora said. “That one started this year in the fall. Last year, I struggled getting left-handed hitters out, and that changeup was my way of getting those guys and going about improving that aspect of my game. It turned into a weapon this year. I threw it to lefties and righties, and it’s really effective with my pitch mix.”

There’s not much to nitpick with Flora, who really blossomed this season -- he pitched in the Gauchos’ bullpen in 2024 before moving to the rotation last year -- and could find an even higher gear. Given his production, floor and ceiling, Flora could be a potential quick-mover and be an impact MLB arm in short order.