The San Francisco Giants drafted a hometown kid with the fourth overall pick on Saturday, July 11, selecting Walnut Creek-born right-hander Jackson Flora out of UC Santa Barbara.

Flora, 21, was born in Walnut Creek on May 25, 2005, and grew up in Pleasanton, where he starred at Foothill High School before becoming the top college pitcher in the 2026 draft class. His first Little League team was named the Giants, and he spent childhood summers watching games at the ballpark with his family.

"I grew up going to Giants games at AT&T Park and then Oracle Park," Flora told MLB.com after the selection. "I've always been a big fan, so this is really just a dream come true."

The 6-foot-5 right-hander dominated college hitters as a junior at UCSB, going 12-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 102 innings. He allowed just three home runs all season, posted a 0.853 WHIP, and set a UCSB single-season strikeout record. He was named both the Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year and the National Pitcher of the Year, and was a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist.

Flora's fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and has touched 100 mph, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. He also throws a changeup, a hard slider, a curveball, and a sweeper.

The local connection runs deeper than a birth certificate. Flora attended the same Pleasanton high school as Giants franchise icon Brandon Crawford. In the summer of 2023, he pitched for the Walnut Creek Crawdads in the California Collegiate League, according to Baseball Reference.

Giants ace Logan Webb told NBC Sports Bay Area he personally lobbied the front office to make the pick. "I for sure told people that make decisions that I think he's a good pick," Webb said. "He's from the area kind of similar to me, and he grew up a Giants fan and is a NorCal kid."

The Giants weren't supposed to be picking this high. They were originally slotted at No. 15 but won the MLB Draft Lottery at the Winter Meetings in December 2025, jumping inside the top five. Flora's slot value is $8,988,400, part of the Giants' $17,350,600 total bonus pool, the third-highest in the majors, according to MLB.com.

NBC Sports Bay Area projects Flora could debut in the majors as early as late 2027. He immediately slots in as the No. 3 prospect in the Giants' farm system, per Bleacher Report.