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Pirates to draft Louisville wide receiver Henri davis with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 Draft, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). Davis, 21, joins Jeff King (1986), Kris benson (1996), Bryan bullington (2002) and Gerrit cole (2011) as players drafted by the Pirates with the first overall selection, and Davis is the first Louisville player to be taken 1-1.
The pick ends weeks of speculation over Pittsburgh’s intentions with the first pick, and Davis’ selection counts as a surprise given that high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer was considered the favorite. However, Davis was also mentioned as a candidate on the Bucs’ radar, and in recent days there seemed to be a growing possibility that the Pirates could go for Davis or one of Jordan’s other two well-regarded high school shortstops. Lawlar and Kahlil. Watson. This is Pittsburgh’s second draft under general manager Ben Cherington, and the team also picked a varsity player early last year, winning the New Mexico state shortstop. Nick Gonzales with the seventh overall pick.
Given Davis’ pedigree, the Pirates don’t exactly reach by taking the backstop with the 1-1 selection. However, given that several reports have indicated that the Pirates are planning to split their bonus money, it is fair to assume that their choice of Davis may be related to a willingness on his part to accept a bonus south of the value of the $ 8,415,300 slot machine for the first overall pick. Any money saved from signing Davis will allow Pittsburgh to allocate more of their $ 14,394,000 draft bonus pool to their other picks in the first 10 rounds, theoretically allowing the Pirates to pick and then pick. signing all the top-notch talent that could have fallen on the selection board due to signing issues.
The Athletic’s Fangraphs and Keith Law each ranked Davis as the second-best overall prospect in this year’s draft class, behind Mayer. ESPN.com’s Baseball America and Kiley McDaniel each had Davis fourth in their rankings, while MLB Pipeline placed him fifth. Whether Davis will remain a receiver is a matter of debate, as his blocking and receiving still needs some fine-tuning, but McDaniel and Fangraphs note that Davis’s issues with framing won’t be an issue if and when. Major League Baseball will put in robotic hitting zone. Additionally, Davis has a very powerful throwing arm, with BA and Pipeline each giving him an arm of 70 on the 20-80 scout scale. (McDaniel even goes so far as to call it a “70’s or 80’s arm.”)
Davis may eventually have to move to an infield or corner outfield location. Regardless of his position, however, Davis’ bat will appear to play anywhere – Fangraphs even called him “arguably the safest prospect in the draft as he plays a privileged position, has an impact on raw power and has no red contact flags “. Perhaps the most beloved varsity bat in the draft class, Davis has something of an unusual swing, but also (according to Baseball America) “outstanding area recognition, pure bat-to-ball skills and more power. at his pull side to make everything work.
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