Another California high school pitcher, Cervantes, at No. 50
The Pirates select right-handed pitcher Angel Cervantes from Warren High School in California with the 50th overall pick of the MLB Draft.
Cervantes, 17, is 6-3, 190 pounds and was ranked 51st by Baseball America, 49th by MLB Pipeline. In his final high school season, he went 7-3 with a 1.59 ERA and 106 strikeouts over 66 2/3 innings. He threw three career no-hitters, including one April 30 in which he struck out 16.
Justin Horowitz, the Pirates' director of amateur scouting, said Cervantes and first-round pick Seth Hernandez share a lot of similarities. They are both "projectable" and "athletic," but Cervantes isn't as far along.
"As far as his ability to manipulate the baseball, pound strikes, compete on the mound, four pitches, he does a lot of really, really good things that make him interesting," Horowitz said. "He’s an awesome kid, too. He is super nice and quiet a little bit off the field, but on the field, this kid is an elite competitor."
Cervantes, who is committed to UCLA, has a four-pitch mix with a fastball, changeup, curveball and slider. His fastball sits in the low 90s but can touch 94-95. However, like Hernandez, Cervantes' changeup is his best pitch.
"Kids that have an advanced changeup, especially if they can land it for strikes, you often see some of these kids that just have that natural feel to manipulate the baseball, to put the ball where they want," Horowitz said. "That leads to some starter upside that we definitely envision in both of those kids."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
THE ASYLUM
Another California high school pitcher, Cervantes, at No. 50
The Pirates select right-handed pitcher Angel Cervantes from Warren High School in California with the 50th overall pick of the MLB Draft.
Cervantes, 17, is 6-3, 190 pounds and was ranked 51st by Baseball America, 49th by MLB Pipeline. In his final high school season, he went 7-3 with a 1.59 ERA and 106 strikeouts over 66 2/3 innings. He threw three career no-hitters, including one April 30 in which he struck out 16.
Justin Horowitz, the Pirates' director of amateur scouting, said Cervantes and first-round pick Seth Hernandez share a lot of similarities. They are both "projectable" and "athletic," but Cervantes isn't as far along.
"As far as his ability to manipulate the baseball, pound strikes, compete on the mound, four pitches, he does a lot of really, really good things that make him interesting," Horowitz said. "He’s an awesome kid, too. He is super nice and quiet a little bit off the field, but on the field, this kid is an elite competitor."
Cervantes, who is committed to UCLA, has a four-pitch mix with a fastball, changeup, curveball and slider. His fastball sits in the low 90s but can touch 94-95. However, like Hernandez, Cervantes' changeup is his best pitch.
"Kids that have an advanced changeup, especially if they can land it for strikes, you often see some of these kids that just have that natural feel to manipulate the baseball, to put the ball where they want," Horowitz said. "That leads to some starter upside that we definitely envision in both of those kids."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!