2026 MLB mock draft could hand Pirates another rotation building block for future

The Pittsburgh Pirates are already blessed with one of the most dominant aces the sport has to offer in Paul Skenes. Next to him, they have a budding young duo in Braxton Ashcraft, who is quickly becoming a problem for the opposition, and Bubba Chandler, who has yet to scratch the surface of his immense potential. Down on the farm, they have the next monster marinating in the form of last year's top prep arm, Seth Hernandez, who pitched his way to a promotion to High-A with a 0.96 ERA in Bradenton.

Hernandez has already moved on to his next challenge in Greensboro, foreshadowing a rapid rise through the system. Now, draft and prospect expert Jim Callis of MLB.com is out with his first mock draft of 2026, and he sees Pittsburgh adding another young dynamo to its cache.

Callis has the Pirates selecting right-handed starting pitcher Jackson Flora at No. 5 overall, and the UC Santa Barbara product ranks as the No. 1 overall arm in the entire draft.

Jim Callis' first mock draft has the Pirates building an incredible pitching pipeline with Jackson Flora

Flora is in his third year pitching in college, and his second working primarily as a starter. He's made quite the leap, as well. In 2024, he posted a 3.83 ERA over 47 innings and 23 appearances (four starts). Last year, 11 of his 13 appearances were starts, and he tossed 75 frames with a 3.60 ERA. This year, he's made 13 starts and no relief appearances, logging 78 1/3 innings with a razor-thin 1.15 ERA.

The 21-year-old's ascension is impressive, but shouldn't be surprising. He's the No. 3 overall prospect in the draft per Baseball America (subscription required), and they note that his fastball-slider combination is absolutely lethal.

Flora's fastball sits in the high 90s and touches 100 miles per hour, and his manipulation of his slider is excellent, allowing him to use it as a weapon against both right-handed and left-handed batters. He also has a changeup and a curveball in his arsenal, giving him ample weapons to attack hitters of either handedness.

If things play out this way, it's not unreasonable to see Flora as a potential fast riser given his wealth of collegiate experience and talent. It's also looking like Hernandez will be a fast riser, meaning that if the board falls this way, Pittsburgh could soon have five aces in the rotation.

We're a ways away, and opinions of these players will rise and fall over the next two months. But sitting at the fifth spot in the draft, the Pirates have a lot of options. If that means they're presented with the consensus best pitcher in the draft, they should jump at the opportunity.

Starting pitching, either in free agency or via trade, is becoming the most expensive commodity in the league. Building an in-house pitching factory, then, is a fantastic idea, especially for a small market team. It looks like Flora will be the key to the Pirates achieving that pipeline.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow