Pirates Double Up on High School Pitching, Draft Angel Cervantes in Second Round
The Pittsburgh Pirates have now used their top two draft picks on high school pitchers from California. After taking Seth Hernandez in round one, the Pirates took fellow right-hander Angel Cervantes from Warren High School with the 50th pick.
Cervantes, who doesn’t turn 18 until next month, was considered the No. 49 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and No. 51 by Baseball America.
The 6-foot-3 right-hander has a four-pitch mix that includes a fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. His changeup is considered his best pitch and his fastball sits in the lower-90s with room to add velocity as he develops. While his breaking pitches aren’t as developed as his changeup or fastball, Pipeline notes that he registers high spin rates on both pitches.
His skills were on display in the Southern Section Division 3 playoffs in May, when he threw a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts while walking one and allowing three hits.
Cervantes finished his senior season at 7-3 with a 1.59 ERA, four complete games sand 106 strikeouts.
While Hernandez is considered quite polished for a highschooler, Cervantes, who is committed to UCLA, is more projectable.
The slot value attached to the 50th pick is $1,934,700. The Pirates have two more picks on day one of the draft at No. 73 and No. 82.
Pirates day one draft tracker:
Round 1 Pick 6: RHP Seth Hernandez, California (H.S.)
Round 2 Pick 50: RHP Angel Cervantes, California (H.S.)
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