San Francisco Giants fourth overall draft pick Jackson Flora made an impressive professional debut Friday night, delivering a scoreless inning for the Class A San Jose Giants against the Fresno Grizzlies. The 21-year-old right-hander struck out two batters while allowing one hit and one walk across 28 pitches in his first outing since being selected in July’s draft.
Flora showcased the elite arm that led to his high draft position, featuring a fastball that reached 98 mph alongside a hard slider, a mid-80s sweeper, and a changeup. The Pleasanton native, who starred at UC Santa Barbara with a 1.06 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 102 innings, expressed excitement about wearing a Giants uniform—a team he grew up rooting for. “It still doesn’t feel real,” Flora said after San Jose’s 8-5, 10-inning victory. “It’s just baseball and I think sometimes I find myself kind of at night thinking, ‘Dang, I’m with the Giants now.'”
While Flora’s stuff impressed Giants farm director Kyle Haines, the prospect acknowledged room for improvement in efficiency and adjusting to professional pitching. Flora threw just 14 strikes among his 28 pitches and noted the differences between college and pro-level strike zones. Giants officials plan to gradually increase his pitch count as San Jose pursues a playoff run, with Flora expected to potentially receive a spring training invitation to big-league camp.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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