Pirates Have Easy Answer in 2026 MLB Draft

All three of those players look like they'll turn into generational talents and a big part of bringing winning baseball back to Pittsburgh.

Flora is most likely the best player that will still be available when the Pirates pick fifth overall, with better the other players going ahead of him.

The shortstops in Roch Cholowsky (UCLA) and Grady Emerson (Fort Worth Christian (Texas)) will go in the first two picks, in whatever order, to the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

It's also likely that catcher Vahn Lackey (Georgia Tech) ends up with the Minnesota Twins at third overall and the San Francisco Giants take a prep player at fourth overall, perhaps Jacob Lombard (Gulliver Prep (Florida)).

Flora falling to the Pirates at fifth overall makes it an easy choice, but there's a reason scouts like him so much.

Wait, What Makes Flora The Best Talent?

There weren't many pitchers anywhere near as good as Flora was as a junior in 2026, as he dominated for UCSB and showed that he can live up to his potential.

Flora posted a 12-0 record in 16 starts, a 1.06 ERA over 102.0 innings pitched, 133 strikeouts to 33 walks, a 0.85 WHIP. a .155 batting average allowed (BAA). He also posted a 11.7 K/9, a 2.8 BB/9 and a 4.16 K/BB.

He stands 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, an imposing figure on the mound already, and knows exactly how he can take down hitters.

Flora possesses a strong four-seam fastball, sitting around 95-97 mph, with grades of 65-70, and then both a slider and a kick-change that grade around 55-60.

His offspeed stuff could really turn him from a good pitcher to a great one, if he can develop it, with a sweeper with a ton of movement and a slider that gets high enough in velocity it almost operates like a cutter, getting in the upper 80s.

All of this makes for a talented starting pitcher, who could really move quickly through the minor leagues, once he makes his professional debut in 2027

You Can Never Have Enough Pitching

The Pirates have a great amount of pitching depth, not just with Skenes and eventually Hernandez as well.

Pittsburgh also has All-Star snub Braxton Ashcraft, former top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones back from injury, plus veteran Mitch Keller.

The Pirates don't need Flora to become their ace, as they already have that in their other pitchers, but if he could slot somewhere as their third-fourth starter, then he would end up a great selection in a stellar rotation.

Pitchers are also volatile, so pitchers who are effective now may not be so when Flora makes his MLB debut and he could end up having a bigger role earlier on than anticipated.