The Pittsburgh Pirates continued to stockpile starting pitching in the MLB Draft, selecting right-hander Angel Cervantes in the second round, but added a pair of college hitters to finish out the first day.
A 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Downey (Calif.) Warren High School, Cervantes is a UCLA commit who has a four-pitch repertoire with plus command and what has been described as a Bugs Bunny changeup.
Cervantes, who doesn’t turn 18 until Aug. 21, is ranked the No. 49 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 51 by Baseball America. He is the second prep pitcher selected by the Pirates in the draft, after they took right-hander Seth Hernandez of Corona (Calif.) at No. 6 overall. The Pirates have a bonus pool of $14,088,400. Slot value for the No. 50 pick is $1,934,700.
“It’s a great collection of starter traits for Cervantes. I think it’s some of the best pitchability in the class, some of the best control and command,” said MLB Network draft analyst Carlos Collazo of Baseball America. “We’ve got a 60 on his future control, which is a really stiff grade for a high school pitcher. The changeup is also one of the more advanced pitches in this class. We have a plus (grade) on that, as well. I think there’s more we’re going to want to see from the fastball moving forward, but it’s a lean frame. He’s incredibly young. The delivery is really easy. He also has a pair of breaking balls that have a chance to be solid, average or better. The changeup is plus now.”
The Pirates took a big bat with their Competitive Balance Round B pick (No. 73 overall) in Fresno State third baseman Triston “Murf” Gray. The 6-4, 235-pound right-handed hitter batted .324/.398/.639 with 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 70 RBIs this season, when he was named Mountain West co-player of the year. Gray was ranked the No. 107 prospect by Baseball America and No. 141 by MLB Pipeline. Slot value for the No. 73 pick is $1,128,400.
“A huge physical presence,” Collazo said. “He’s a really aggressive hitter. He makes a lot of contact, which is impressive, but I think he’s probably going to have to shore up the swing decisions at the next level. He’s got a lot more power than he’s shown consistently in-game. He’s a guy who naturally impacts the ball to the opposite field. I wonder how much he’s going to tap into that. If he can get the ball in the air more frequently and get it over the fence at the next level. There are some questions where he’s going to play defensively. He plays third now. He’s got a big arm for the position. I could see him moving over to first, maybe a corner outfield. But the power is exciting, and his natural hitting traits are pretty loud, too.”
In the third round (No. 82), the Pirates picked Oklahoma catcher Easton Carmichael. After posting an .868 OPS in the Cape Cod League, the 6-1, 200-pound right-handed hitter had a strong season for the Sooners. He hit .329/.389/.613 with 10 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He’s ranked the No. 91 prospect by Baseball America and No. 93 by MLB Pipeline. Slot value for the No. 82 pick is $979,500.
“It’s a really good athlete behind the plate,” MLB Network analyst Dan O’Dowd said. “I think this guy has so much more upside than what he’s even shown. He’s a really good athlete. It’s a very, very physical body. I think he got better and better as the year went along behind the plate. There’s gap-to-gap power now. I think he’s going to get better as he begins to mature and play on a regular basis.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
