MLB.com's latest mock draft has Royals deviating from youthful status quo in first-round

The Kansas City Royals are in a draft position that seemingly reflects how the season is going. They finally outperformed their lottery odds for the 2026 MLB Draft, landing the sixth overall pick for the second time since 2024. Kansas City went with Florida slugger Jac Caglianone in that draft, and the move has already yielded a big league regular with untapped power potential. Now, MLB.com thinks Kansas City will go back to the college ranks in the coming draft, but can the results be similarly quick?

Jim Callis released the latest mock draft for MLB.com and has Kansas City drafting right-handed pitcher Jackson Flora at sixth overall.

"The Royals have stronger ties to high schoolers such as Booth, Lombard, Florida left-hander Gio Rojas and California two-way talent Jared Grindlinger than to collegians. Yet Flora and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress could factor in here as well."

Jim Callis, MLB Pipeline

This would certainly cause a shift in the upper half of their rankings which is dominated by young teenaged talents like Kendry Chourio and David Shields on the mound and Sean Gamble, Josh Hammond positionally. For a team starving for near-MLB ready depth in the minors, perhaps Flora is a means to obtain some talent that will debut before their guaranteed competitive window of 2030 with Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia is up.

Royals' draft direction once again seems unknown

Callis' reasoning for sending Flora to the Royals is hardly set in stone. There is a strong group at the top of the draft, with some under slot options in Rojas and Grindlinger. Flora would hardly be a disappointment though after a solid collegiate career with the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. After the Los Angeles Angels selected Gauchos pitcher Tyler Bremner second overall last draft, Flora seems like a favorite to be another top-ten pitcher drafted out of the school.

Flora has gotten better with each season after starting as a reliever in 2024. He posted career bests in 102.0 innings pitched, a 1.06 ERA, a 2.99 FIP, and a 33.3% strikeout rate to name a few metrics. MLB Pipeline has him ranked as their fifth-best prospect in the coming draft, while Baseball America has him ranked third in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Flora looks like a more prototypical starter than Bremner did last season, standing at 6-foot-5 with lengthy levers. He has a sharp, nay violent, release but seems in control pitch in and pitch out. Flora averages north of 96 mph on his fastball, while touching triple digits this past season. It flashes on movement profiles and plays up thanks to his present 6.5 feet of extension. That pitch plays best high in the zone, when Flora has the feel to keep it there.

Flora has a trio of secondary pitches that all set his floor as a starting prospect. His slider was the go-to breaking ball for most of his collegiate career, but he added a sweeper that has plenty of horizontal break and plays well against righties. Left-handed pitchers were still performing well against Flora's secondary pitches, but his changeup has come a long way since 2025, with Baseball America describing the pitch as a "revelation."

"Flora’s changeup usage has surged to 20% this spring, and scouts were slapping 60-grade reviews on the pitch out of the box when he flashed it during the fall. The performance and effectiveness of the new kick-change this spring back up those lofty reviews. It’s now his go-to secondary against lefthanded hitters, with a 32% usage rate. Largely because of that, his opponents’ OPS against changeups has fallen from .795 in 2025 to .570 in 2026.

Flora now has a secondary that moves to his arm side that he can throw with confidence. It’s a hard changeup in the 85-92 mph range and has splitter-esque, parachuting movement at its best. He does a solid job throwing the pitch on the outer half of the plate to lefties, and he’s also been comfortable enough to throw it in right-on-right matchups at times."

Baseball America

All in all, this mock draft should not disappoint Royals fans but rather serve as one of the better outcomes. Adding a high-ceiling position player would be fun and more in line with what Kansas City needs now, but Flora has one of the better packages of any pitcher available at this point in the draft.

As long as Kansas City avoids the under slot shenanigans, Flora should absolutely be a fine pick.

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