The Bucs lost a prospect.
Angel Cervantes, a right-handed pitcher and second round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates at 50th overall in the 2025 MLB Draft has elected to committ to UCLA instead of joining the Pirates system.
Cervantes is giving up a slot of $1.9 million, which the Pirates will now lose, and the Bucs now receive the 51st pick in the 2026 MLB Draft as compensation.
The 17-year-old Cervantes has a nice four-pitch mix, including a mid-90s fastball and a so-called “Bugs Bunny” changeup that is one of his money pitches. Cervantes finished his senior season of high school with a 7-3 record, a 1.59 ERA, 4 complete games and 106 strikeouts. He was also named the Gateway League Pitcher of the Year in 2025.
Thankfully, the Pirates have a fair amount of pitching in the system, including 2025 first-rounder Seth Hernandez, who the Bucs have already signed, but the failure to bring Cervantes aboard is an indictment of the Pirates system, which has been subpar for far too long. But I’m not telling anyone at BD something they didn’t already know. Also thankfully, the Pirates have already signed the majority of their picks (12 out of 21 as of now).
Cervantes will make some money through the NIL, but not nearly as much as he was slotted for, so not only does this move say something about the Bucs, it also means that Cervantes is betting on himself. Do well at UCLA, and he might increase his potential earnings or go to a better franchise. If things fall apart, it could be a regretful move, but Cervantes seems to have the confidence that it won’t, so more power to him. I’d feel apprehnsive about committing to this organization as well.
Keep this in mind for next year’s draft, to see if the Bucs end up replacing him with a better prospect with the 51st pick.