Jackson Flora
| Jackson Flora | |
|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: May 25, 2005 Walnut Creek, California, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
Jackson Reed Flora (born May 25, 2005) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization.
Career
[edit]Flora was born on May 25, 2005, in Walnut Creek, California.[1] He grew up in Pleasanton where he attended Foothill High School and played baseball as a pitcher and infielder.[2] After high school, he began attending the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2024, becoming a pitcher for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team.[2]
As a freshman at UC Santa Barbara in 2024, Flora was mainly used as a relief pitcher, pitching 47 innings while striking out 40 batters with an earned-run average (ERA) of 3.83.[3] He appeared in 23 games and made four starts while posting a record of 3–2, earning honorable mention All-Big West Conference honors.[2] The following year, he helped the Gauchos compile a record of 36–18 while serving as their starting pitcher for most of the season.[4][5] Flora recorded an ERA of 3.60 and had 86 strikeouts with only 17 walks across 75 innings, posting a record of 6–3.[4][6] He ranked among the top 10 in the conference in ERA and was selected first-team All-Big West.[5] After the collegiate season, he was invited to the USA Collegiate National Team training camp.[7] As a junior for UC Santa Barbara in 2026, Flora made 16 starts and had a 12-0 record, a 1.06 ERA and 133 strikeouts across 102 innings pitched.[8] He was named the Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year as well as winning the National Pitcher of the Year Award.[9]
Flora was regarded as a top prospect for the 2026 Major League Baseball draft.[10][11] He was widely considered the best collegiate pitcher available in the draft.[12] He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the first round with the fourth overall pick.[13]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Jackson Flora Amateur & College Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference.
- 1 2 3 "Jackson Flora". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.
- ↑ Flaherty, Peter (March 12, 2025). "2026 MLB Draft: 5 College Pitchers Who Could Be The First Arm Off The Board Next Year". Baseball America.
- 1 2 Rudner, Jacob (October 31, 2025). "Jackson Flora Expands Arsenal, Plus Southern Miss, Little Rock Updates & More | College Fall Ball Intel". Baseball America.
- 1 2 Ezman, Alfred (December 6, 2025). "Jackson Flora is a College Baseball Pitcher to Watch in 2026". World Baseball Network.
- ↑ Patton, Mark (December 14, 2025). "Mark Patton: Jackson Flora Projects as Another Throwback to UCSB's Rich Pitching Tradition". Noozhawk.
- ↑ Boose, Eric (June 11, 2025). "UCSB's Jackson Flora Invited to USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team Camp". Noozhawk.
- ↑ Bryant, Victor (July 12, 2026). "UC Santa Barbara Pitcher Jackson Flora Selected No. 4 Overall By the San Francisco Giants in MLB Draft". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Bryant, Victor (June 10, 2026). "UC Santa Barbara's Jackson Flora Earns National Pitcher of the Year Honor, All-West Region Selection". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Rudner, Jacob (February 21, 2026). "Jackson Flora's Premium Stuff Has UC Santa Barbara Ace Climbing 2026 MLB Draft Boards". Baseball America.
- ↑ Fitt, Aaron (February 13, 2026). "Fitt: UCSB's Flora has that top-of-draft look". d1baseball.com.
- ↑ Brisbee, Grant (July 12, 2026). "Giants fill a need with first-round pick Jackson Flora, plus other Day 1 MLB Draft musings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Guardado, Maria. "Giants nab top pitcher, Bay Area native Flora with 4th pick in '26 Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved 2026-07-12.