The Pittsburgh Pirates have chosen the player they hope will be a cornerstone of their rebuilding efforts, selecting catcher Henry Davis of Louisville with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft.
In passing over Vanderbilt pitcher Jack Leiter and high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer, the Pirates opted for perhaps the best college bat in the country in Davis, a sophomore who hit .370/.482/.663 with 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases in leading the Cardinals to a berth in the College World Series.
A native of Bedford, New York, Davis was a semifinalist for the 2021 Golden Spikes award, which goes to the top amateur player in the country.
Davis, 21, is the second catcher to be taken first overall in the past three drafts, joining Adley Rutschman, whom the Baltimore Orioles selected with the No. 1 pick in 2019.
The Pirates had the first overall pick after finishing with baseball’s worst record in 2020. The last time the Pirates had the No. 1 overall pick was in 2011, when they took UCLA pitcher and future ace Gerrit Cole.
2021 MLB draft, first round
1. Pittsburgh Pirates: C Henry Davis, Louisville
2. Texas Rangers: SP Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt
3. Detroit Tigers: SP Jackson Jobe, Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City) H.S.
4. Boston Red Sox: SS Marcelo Mayer, Eastlake (California) H.S.
5. Baltimore Orioles: OF Colton Cowser, Sam Houston
6. Arizona Diamondbacks: SS Jordan Lawlar, Jesuit Prep (Dallas, Texas) H.S.
7. Kansas City Royals
8. Colorado Rockies
9. Los Angeles Angels
10. New York Mets
11. Washington Nationals
12. Seattle Mariners
13. Philadelphia Phillies
14. San Francisco Giants
15. Milwaukee Brewers
16. Miami Marlins
17. Cincinnati Reds
18. St. Louis Cardinals
19. Toronto Blue Jays
20. New York Yankees
21. Chicago Cubs
22. Chicago White Sox
23. Cleveland
24. Atlanta Braves
25. Oakland Athletics
26. Minnesota Twins
27. San Diego Padres
28. Tampa Bay Rays
29. Los Angeles Dodgers
Compensation picks
30. Cincinnati Reds (for Trevor Bauer)
Competitive Balance Round A
31. Miami Marlins
32. Detroit Tigers
33. Milwaukee Brewers
34. Tampa Bay Rays
35. Cincinnati Reds
36. Minnesota Twins
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB draft: Pittsburgh Pirates take catcher Henry Davis No. 1 overall