The 2026 MLB Draft is still another two months away. However, it’s never too early to start thinking about who the Pittsburgh Pirates may take. The lottery rewarded the Pirates with the fifth overall selection of this year’s draft. The last two years have netted them some extremely promising players, including shortstop Konnor Griffin (who is starting to heat up in the Major Leagues, and the Pirates gave a nine-year extension) and Seth Hernandez (who looks like he could be baseball’s next consensus number one prospect). While a lot can change between now and the time of the draft, three names stand out as the most likely based on recent mock drafts and draft rankings. These rankings are in order from most likely to least likely to become the first Pirates 2026 draft pick, based on where things currently stand.
2026 Pirates Draft Rankings, Two Months Out
1. Jackson Flora
All three players in this ranking are nearly interchangeable as of right now, given how closely they are in rankings and mock drafts. However, Jackson Flora stands out as one of the most likely names the Pirates could take in this year’s draft. The hard-throwing right-hander has become the best college hurler in this year’s draft class.
Flora has attended UC Santa Barbara for his entire college career. This year, he has tossed 74 1/3 innings while posting a sub-1.00 ERA (0.73) and WHIP (0.901). Flora has had no problems striking out college opponents with a 32.5% strikeout rate. His 9.2% walk rate is an uptick from last year’s 5.5%; however, his K-BB% is still a very strong 23.3%. Plus, he has only allowed a single home run, compared to seven last season through 75 innings.
Jackson Flora lowers his ERA to 0.73 during an 8-strikeout performance 💥
Scouting grades and more on the top-ranked pitching prospect in the 2026 Draft class: https://t.co/ywDpwUKk26
(📹: @UCSB_Baseball) pic.twitter.com/WRzFjdUUpq
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 2, 2026
Flora is built like a starting pitcher, standing at 6’5” and 205 lbs. Despite turning just 21 later this May, Flora is already sitting mid-to-upper-90s and hitting triple-digits. On top of good velocity, Flora throws his fastball with good movement. He also utilizes two breaking pitches. Flora’s primary breaking offering is a sweeper that projects as plus, but his curveball is also a usable pitch. Flora modified his change-up into a more kick-change variant, which also looks like an above-average pitch. While Flora has a higher-effort delivery, he has shown above-average strike-throwing ability in the past.
Flora ranks as both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline’s fourth-best draft prospect in this year’s class. Pipeline has Flora going fourth overall to the San Francisco Giants, but Baseball America has him going to the Pirates. Given how adept the Pirates have become at identifying and developing pitching talent, and how pitcher-heavy many of Ben Cherington’s previous drafts have been, there is a very real possibility that Flora is who the Pirates take fifth overall this year.
2. Jacob Lombard
The best high school bat that will likely still be on the board when the Pirates are on the clock is Jacob Lombard. Jacob comes from a baseball family. His father, George Lombard Sr., played in parts of six MLB seasons from 1988 through 2006. He is now the bench coach for the Detroit Tigers. His brother, George Lombard Jr., was the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2023 and is ranked among their top prospects. Now it’s Jacob’s opportunity to play in professional baseball.
Lombard has some serious power and speed. Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline believe he has 60-grade power in his bat. They also mention Lombard is clocking 70-grade run times. There are questions about Lombard’s hit tool. According to MLB Pipeline, Lombard struggled with heat up in the zone, and BA states that he swung and missed at a poor rate in 2025. However, at just 18, it’s not a massive concern just yet. Plus, Lombard has shown the fielding prowess to stick at shortstop long term.
Jacob Lombard is among the top prep shortstops in this year’s class 🔥
He has an enticing tools package + looks like a reasonably safe top 10 pick.
See where Lombard lands in our Mock draft: https://t.co/jdcrPlmno6 pic.twitter.com/lNTxpHOxCD
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) March 9, 2026
Baseball America believes Lombard is one of the top five prospects in this year’s draft class. They ranked him fifth on their draft class prospect rankings list and have him going fourth overall to the Giants in their mock draft. MLB Pipeline is also bullish on Lombard, ranking him as the class’s seventh-best prospect. The last big-bodied shortstop (Lombard comes in at 6’3”, 185-LBS), with well above-average power and speed, a good glove up the middle, but a questionable hit tool as a high schooler, landed in the Pirates’ lap, resulting in Konnor Griffin.
3. Vahn Lackey
If the Pirates want to turn to a college bat instead, look no further than Vahn Lackey. Lackey is a right-handed-hitting backstop at Georgia Tech. He’s done nothing but hit throughout college and has all the tools to become one of MLB’s best catchers. On top of that, he provides value in more ways than just behind the plate or with the bat in his hands.
Lackey is hitting .361/.486/.675 with a 148 wRC+ over his first 203 plate appearances of the college season. The young catcher always keeps up a low K%. His 14.4% K% marks the second college season in a row Lackey has struck out less than 15% of the time. However, now he is walking more frequently than striking out, with a 17.8% free pass percentage.
He is also hitting for more power this season, with a dozen home runs on the year (twice as many as last year but in 58 fewer plate appearances), and a .314 isolated slugging percentage. However, Lackey is also a threat to steal. He has gone 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts this year, and went 18-for-21 in attempts last season.
Lackey profiles as a hit-over-power type batter. However, that doesn’t mean he has no power. Lackey’s raw power will give him some 20 home run seasons in the future. His defense behind the plate is one of his strong suits. His athleticism gives him good footwork behind the dish, and he has had no trouble blocking pitches. On top of that, Lackey has plus arm strength. He also has speed you usually do not see from catchers.
Vahn Lackey is unbelievable 🤯
📺 ACC Network#StingEm🐝 x #WreckHavoc x @LackeyVahn pic.twitter.com/KR6jymKpxi
— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) April 25, 2026
Lackey profiles like J.T. Realmuto. He’s a catcher who can hit for plenty of contact, provide some home runs and good defense, and even become a threat on the basepaths. They even have similar builds, with Lackey listed at 6’2”, 215, and Realmuto coming in at 6’0”, 212. Both Pipeline and BA have Lackey ranked as this year’s third-best draft prospect. Their bullishness on Lackey appears in their mock drafts, as they both have him getting selected third overall by the Minnesota Twins. However, that is well within the Pirates’ range, and he may fall to the fifth overall pick.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
