High-Upside College Arm Circled as Possible Nationals Draft Target
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The Washington Nationals officially learned where they will be selecting in the upcoming 2026 MLB Draft this summer.
Because they are considered a "payor club," they were not able to pick in the lottery for a second consecutive year. That prevented them from selecting second in the draft, which would have happened based on how the ping pong balls bounced.
But with the Nationals now knowing where they are going to pick, it's time to start circling some names when it comes to who they could potentially target heading into the marquee event that's set to take place in July.
Someone Sam Sallick of Federal Baseball highlighted is Jackson Flora from UC Santa Barbara.
Who Is Jackson Flora and Why Should Nationals Be Interested?
Since Washington picks at No. 11, they won't have the luxury of selecting some of the higher-end draft prospects barring something completely unforeseen taking place. That means there will be a ton of pressure on the new front office to identify hidden gems later in the first round.
Flora could be that guy. His fastball is his greatest strength. It already sits around the 97 mph mark and can touch triple digits. He switched to being a starting pitcher this past collegiate season, and he posted a 3.80 ERA across 13 outings (11 starts) with 86 strikeouts and just 17 walks across 75 innings pitched.
"Right now, Flora is probably my favorite prospect I could see the Nats taking at 11th. The Nats need to load up on college arms and Flora has a chance to be the best one in the class. He is a big right handed pitcher with power stuff and strong control," Sallick stated.
The Jackson Flora buzz 📈
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) December 13, 2025
He's one of the top arms in our 2026 draft rankings: https://t.co/sSClCj8Aos pic.twitter.com/McyMNCT5Fl
The Nationals have selected college arms in the past who they believed could become impact pitchers for them quickly. Unfortunately, the likes of Cade Cavalli and Jake Bennett underwent Tommy John surgeries that pushed their timelines back.
Going back to the well by drafting another college arm could help Washington have a group of up-and-coming pitchers on their roster all at the same time, especially if Cavalli and Bennett can stick and Travis Skyora can come back from his own Tommy John procedure to pair with Jarlin Susana.
"His delivery has some effort to it, so that is also something to watch. However, Flora seems to have a very high floor. The fastball, slider and strikes give him an obvious big league projection. With continued development, there could be real top of the rotation upside here. ... If I were Paul Toboni, I would be keeping a very close eye on the UCSB Gauchos ace," added Sallick.
So for those Nationals fans who love following the draft -- even when it's this early in the process -- it seems like Flora is a name to circle in this process and will be someone to keep an eye on during the college season, as he could become a real riser when it's all said and done.
