The San Francisco Giants' top pitching prospect, right-hander Jackson Flora, officially began his minor league career just two weeks ago. But now, the 2026 first-round draft pick has already made his first Double-A start.

Flora, MLB Pipeline's No. 30 overall prospect for 2026, tossed two flawless frames in the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels' playoff game on Thursday. The 21-year-old threw 19 of his 28 pitches for strikes and struck out four over his two perfect innings. But Richmond eventually lost 5-3 to the Erie SeaWolves, the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.

Most notably, Flora struck out Erie outfielder Zyhir Hope, the Tigers' top prospect acquired at the trade deadline in the blockbuster deal that sent left-hander Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the young hurler is just getting started in the minors, San Francisco fans should be thrilled with what they've seen from the 6-foot-5 righty in a small sample size.

Jackson Flora could be on the fast track through the minors

The Giants made Flora the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. The UC Santa Barbara product was the first pitcher drafted in July and the only hurler selected in the first 10 picks. And so far, the young righty has shown why he was such a highly touted arm heading into this year's draft.

Flora made his first start in the minors on Sept. 4, tossing one scoreless inning for the Single-A San Jose Giants. The 21-year-old then made his playoff debut with San Jose last week, throwing two shutout frames without allowing a hit. That set the stage for the right-hander's quick promotion to Double-A after slinging just three innings in Single-A.

Even though he's only pitched in three games and has thrown five total innings since being drafted, it's easy to see why Flora could be one of the most exciting arms to watch next year. With the Giants already promoting the young hurler to Double-A, he may rapidly climb through the minors. Regardless, the right-hander will certainly be a prospect worth monitoring in his first full season in San Francisco's farm system in 2027.