NO DEAL: Pirates Second Round Pick Angel Cervantes Will Honor UCLA Commitment
Pittsburgh Pirates 2025 second round draft pick Angel Cervantes announced on Twitter/X that he will honor is college commitment to UCLA instead of starting his professional career.
Go bruins!!
AGTG✝️@johnwdavis @d1baseball @UCLABaseball @LesLukach @ShooterHunt @latsondheimer @prepbaseball @PrepBaseballCA@BaseballAmerica pic.twitter.com/JWKfpthZ9A— Angel Cervantes (@AngelC_2025) July 24, 2025
Cervantes, 17, was drafted by the Pirates with the 50th pick in the draft out of Warren High School in California. The right-handed pitcher was considered MLB Pipeline’s 49th-best prospect and Baseball America’s 51st-best.
Cervantes finished his senior season at 7-3 with a 1.59 ERA, four complete games and 106 strikeouts. The 6-foot-3 right-hander was named the Gateway League Pitcher of the Year in 2025.
It’s a shocking development for the Pirates, who must have had a strong level of confidence they would be able to pry Cervantes away from his college commitment. Instead, they will lose $1,934,700 from their $14,088,400 bonus pool for not reaching a deal.
The Pirates will now be given the 51st pick in the 2026 draft, assuming Cervantes doesn’t have a change of heart before the deadline to sign.
The Pirates have signed 12 of their 21 draft picks in this year’s class, including first-round RHP Seth Hernandez.
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