PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pirates select another California pitcher with the second pick in the 2025 MLB Draft and then went with a couple of college hitters-one a 230 pound infielder with power potential and then an athletic catcher.
2nd round
RHP Angel Cervantes (17-years-old, California HS, 6’3”, 195 pounds)
The right-hander starter is committed to UCLA and doesn’t have the velocity of first-round pick Seth Hernandez. Cervantes throws between 90-93 and mlb.com projects he could have three or four above-average pitches at the professional level. They say his best pitch is currently the change-up that gets a lot of swing-and-miss, but at 17 believe there is a chance he adds more to his fastball. He was slotted by mlb.com as the 49th best prospect and picked 50th overall.
Pirates Director of Amateur Scouting Justin Horowitz on his second California HS pitcher
“They’ve got a lot of similarities, which is pretty cool. Obviously both from Southern California, same area scout, Mark Sluys. Did an awesome job with Angel all year. They check a lot of the same boxes. They are projectable. They are athletic. Angel may not be as far along in his training age, is what we say. In 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. Finally, 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. Another one we are really, really excited about potentially bringing into the organization.”
2nd round
3B Murf Gray (21-year-old, Fresno State, 6’ 4”, 230 pounds)
The bulky third baseman has one of the best arms in the draft and last year led Fresno State with 78 hits, 18 home runs, 73 RBI and a .639 slugging percentage. He was named the Mountain West Championship MVP for the second consecutive season. Gray, a right-handed hitter, was also the conference freshman of the year his first season. MLB.com reports he has raw power to all fields, but mostly pull for home runs. They project he will need some swing modifications including better decisions at the plate. He pitched in high school and is the school’s all-time leading strikeout leader. Gray was ranked 141st overall and picked 73rd.
Pirates Director of Amateur Scouting Justin Horowitz
“We are excited about Murf. Mike Sansoe, our area scout in Northern California did a great job, honestly an incredible job all year long getting to know Murf, doing some digging. He found that there is still more to tap into with Murf. He hits the ball really, really hard. Crushes balls. It’s just about leveraging his impact a little bit deeper in games and optimizing his contact points, getting to better ball fly. That’s how we can really tap into some big power potential. Murf is a super strong kid, a super hard-working kid. We are really excited about his offensive upside. Defensively he’s a third baseman. He’s got an incredible work ethic. He’s really focused on improving on that side of the dirt as well. He was actually a Gold Glove finalist this year too. A guy with an all-around skillset and even more upside when he gets into a player development system.”
3rd round
C Easton Carmichael (21-year-old, Oklahoma University, 6’1”, 200 pounds)
Ranked as one of the most athletic catchers in the draft, Carmichael is Top 20 in Oklahoma history in hits (232), home runs (30), RBI (174), triples (13) and extra base hits (80). The Texas native is coming off a final season with 17 home runs, 62 RBI, 14 stolen bases and led the SEC with four triples. The right-handed hitter was named a First Team All-American catcher by Perfect Game & Third Team by Baseball America. Last year in the Cape Cod League hit .299/.372 on-base/.496 slugging/.868 OPS
Pirates Director of Amateur Scouting Justin Horowitz on Carmichael potentially playing another position
“There is always that possibility. He’s a great athlete. He’s strong. He’s versatile. He’s got really good lower-half strength and he’s explosive. There is some upside there, but we are definitely focused on him with his catching ability. We think he can definitely do it. He provides power back there. We are going to give him every opportunity to prove that he can be a legitimate catching prospect in our organization.”
The MLB Draft finishes with rounds 4 through 20 on Monday leading up to the Home Run Derby.