No. 50 pick Angel Cervantes to join UCLA baseball, turns down Pittsburgh Pirates
Incoming freshman right-hander Angel Cervantes poses holding his glove. Cervantes will join the UCLA baseball pitching staff after choosing not to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who selected him in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft. (Courtesy of Angel Cervantes and UCLA Athletics)
By Gabriela Garcia
July 23, 2025 8:49 p.m.
This post was updated July 27 at 5:08 p.m.
Incoming freshman right-handed pitcher Angel Cervantes will forgo signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, after being drafted No. 50 overall in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft, in favor of coming to UCLA.
Cervantes broke the news Wednesday evening with a photo on social platform X that read, “Staying Home.” The Lynwood, California, local turned down a pick that had a slot value of $1,934,700 and is the first major draft pick opting to go the collegiate route.
Ranked No. 34 nationally overall by Perfect Game, Cervantes is the highest-ranked player in the Bruins’ 2025 recruiting class. The incoming freshman sports a four-pitch arsenal, with his fastball sitting in the mid-90s and a “Bugs Bunny” changeup that produces the most swing-and-miss due to its depth.
Cervantes has the opportunity to compete for a weekend spot in coach John Savage’s starting rotation come next season, where he will join a staff that includes rising senior right-hander Michael Barnett, rising junior right-hander Landon Stump and rising sophomore right-hander Wylan Moss. If fellow Bruin Cody Delvecchio chooses not to sign with the San Francisco Giants by July 28, he will also be returning to compete for a weekend spot.
The Bruins struggled with starting pitchers in 2025. Savage made a career out of developing starters, but last season was different, as his staff struggled all season, rarely tossing more than five innings. The three qualified starting pitchers finished the year with a 4.62 combined ERA, although it was masked by offensive outbursts throughout the season. The addition of Cervantes is crucial for the pitching staff, as he is the No. 5 nationally ranked right-hander by Perfect Game and is known to paint both sides of the zone.
In his final high school season, he set a Warren High School career strikeout record of 310. Cervantes also received the Gateway League Pitcher of the Year honor after a senior season, where he went 7-3 through 66.2 innings while producing a 1.59 ERA, 106 strikeouts and four complete games.
Cervantes will join a UCLA squad that is fresh off its first stint in the Men’s College World Series since 2013.
Earlier today, Baseball America ranked the Bruins first in their “Way Too Early” Top 25, and Cervantes will only reinforce the ranking as the Bruins attempt another deep postseason run on the road to Omaha, Nebraska.
