Pirates take Louisville C Henry Davis with No. 1 MLB draft pick
The Pittsburgh Pirates made Henry Davis, a catcher from the University of Louisville, the surprise No. 1 overall pick as the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft began in Denver on Sunday.
Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the pick of Davis, who is 6-2, 210 pounds and was the No. 5 overall prospect in MLB.com rankings.
"I'm pretty excited," Davis told MLB TV. "Just fired up. Ready to go, ready to get to work."
Davis hit .370 this season, with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs in 49 games for Louisville.
"He checks off all the boxes as a person," former Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said on the MLB-TV broadcast. "The bat is a legitimate bat ... It's a position of need within our game."
It was the second time in the past three years a catcher has gone first overall. The Baltimore Orioles took Adley Rutschman in 2019.
--Field Level Media
