​The San Francisco Giants opened the two-day 2026 MLB draft with an action-packed Saturday, selecting five players who could become fixtures for years to come. Their top pick, the highest for the franchise since 2018, was Santa Barbara pitcher Jackson Flora. They followed with two prep arms, Carson Bolemon and Kaden Waechter, chosen at No. 29 and No. 55 respectively. In the third round they added outfielder Peyton Bonds, Barry Bonds’ nephew, and they wrapped up the day with Hofstra right-hander Carlos Martinez in the fourth round.
Sunday didn’t feature as many headline names, but it more than made up for it in volume, as the Giants held 16 picks and remained focused on pitching. Here’s a look at rounds 5-10, where the emphasis stayed on pitchers; keep an eye out for rounds 11-20 later in the day.
With their first pick of the day in the fifth round (No. 150 overall), the Giants selected a player with a deep baseball lineage: North Carolina State second baseman Luke Nixon. He is the son of Trot Nixon, a 12-year MLB veteran who had a standout stint with the Boston Red Sox. Nixon is a contact-oriented left-handed hitter who doesn’t rely on power. He’s on the smaller side, listed at 5’10, 162 pounds as he nears his 22nd birthday. Despite a compact frame and limited power, he showed pop last season, hitting nine home runs in 56 games in the ACC. Nixon’s junior year was particularly impressive, posting a .367/.452/.595 line, which equates to a 1.048 OPS and a 129 wRC+. He also recorded a 14.0% strikeout rate and earned second-team All-ACC honors. He fields second base smoothly and has a good sense for the strike zone, traits the Giants likely value as part of their contact-first approach. He’s easily a very “Giantsy” pick. However, there’s a realistic chance Nixon is an underslot choice, given that the slot value for the No. 150 pick sits just under $500,000.
In the sixth round, with the No. 179 choice, the Giants returned to pitching, taking McNeese State right-hander Eric Nachtsheim. Nachtsheim has flashy stuff that often draws evaluators’ attention, though the data suggests he can be a touch hittable. He didn’t face elite competition, having been a first-team All-ACCCAC—though more locally, he earned first-team All-ACCCAC—yet he posted a 3.60 ERA and a 4.13 FIP this season, allowing 72 hits and 13 home runs over 85 innings. His strikeout rate stands out, with 125 punch-outs in those innings, and he walked just 21 all year. The big question with Nachtsheim is whether he can add secondary pitches to complement his fastball. He already features an excellent fastball, sitting in the mid-to-upper 90s with strong movement and deception and possessing outstanding command. That fastball helped him land at No. 174 on Baseball America’s ranking and No. 213 on MLB Pipeline’s list. At present, however, the secondary offerings are his most significant hurdle, and the potential for a future breakthrough hinges on developing at least one other usable pitch. If he can broaden his repertoire, Nachtsheim could become a more complete pitcher with upside that could justify the Giants’ commitment to him.