Surprising news surfaced Thursday when Pirates second-round draft pick Angel Cervantes, a 17-year-old right-handed pitcher, announced he’d put his professional baseball career on hold in order to play collegiately at UCLA.

But Friday night, the Pirates experienced the inverse of that scenario, as a pair of draft picks committed to play college baseball instead signed with the club before being assigned to the rookie Florida Complex League in Bradenton, Fla.

Righty McClane Moody and outfielder Carter Gwost became the 17th and 18th players from Pittsburgh’s 2025 draft class to ink contracts.

Moody, a 15th-round selection out of Northside (Ark.) High School, stands at 6-foot-7 and was ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 4 righty in his state. He had committed to Arkansas.

Gwost was picked in the 17th round out of Little Falls (Minn.) High School. He had intended to play collegiately at Nebraska, committing in August 2024.

This past season, Moody went 6-3 with a 2.94 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 47 2/3 innings.

Gwost posted a .444 batting average last year and was listed by Perfect Game as the No. 63 overall player in Minnesota entering the MLB Draft.

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