Possible Nationals Draft Target Could Be Playing His Way Out of Their Range
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There is still a ways to go before the 2026 MLB Draft takes place in July, but the Washington Nationals are likely hard at work trying to set their board.
With the 11th pick, they don't have the luxury of being able to select the top talent available, so they will have to hope something breaks their way to land a game-changing prospect. As of right now, that doesn't seem to be the case with someone who would have been a perfect fit for them. Originally considered the No. 14 prospect in this draft by MLB Pipeline, Jackson Flora could have been a target of the Nationals.
However, based on the way the right-handed starting pitcher has performed this season for UC Santa Barbara, it appears like he might be playing his way out of their range.
Jackson Flora Has Been Dominant
Coming off a sophomore year where he posted a 3.60 ERA across 13 outings (11 starts) with 86 strikeouts and 17 walks across 75 innings pitched, a lot of eyes were on what Flora would do in his third season with the Gauchos.
So far, he has been dominant. In eight starts, he's given up just four earned runs for an eye-popping ERA of 0.69. He's also struck out 65 batters in 52 1/3 innings pitched, and after throwing a complete game shutout in his latest outing, he's run his incredible scoreless streak up to 33 1/3 innings.
Flora looks like the best right-hander in the draft, and there's a chance he's the best overall pitching prospect, too. He'll have to finish this season strong for UC Santa Barbara to keep this buzz going, but what he's done thus far has been impressive and has certainly caught the attention of teams at the top of the order.
Flora Could Be off the Board Before Pick No. 11
This breakout by Flora likely will hurt the Nationals. While it's not clear what position Washington is going to target with the 11th pick of the draft this year, if someone like the right-hander were available, then he likely would be the selection. But he'll probably be long gone by the time they put in their pick, as Flora is playing his way into top five status based on what he continues to do on the mound this season.
Keep Flora circled as someone to watch throughout the remainder of the collegiate campaign. Despite his success potentially pushing him above the range where the Nationals will select, there's always an outside chance he slips during the pre-draft process and on draft day.
How everything surrounding this draft unfolds will be interesting to watch since it's the first one for this new regime in D.C.
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai