DENVER — There’s nothing more important right now to the Pirates than adding talent, the foundation to support their build toward brighter days. There’s no easier way to do that — especially for them — than holding the first overall pick in the MLB draft.
Making that selection for the fifth time in their history and the first time since 2011, the Pirates drafted catcher Henry Davis first overall on Sunday night at the Bellco Theater in downtown Denver, tabbing the Louisville product to play an integral role behind the plate.
Davis was viewed as the best college hitter available. In 50 games this past season, Davis slashed .370/.482/.663 with 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and 45 runs scored, producing his numbers in the highly competitive ACC.
Experts view Davis as likely to stick behind the plate, because of his strong arm, aptitude and work ethic. He will, many believe, have to refine his swing, pitch-framing and blocking; however, the Pirates got the best available player at a glaring position of need.
This pick has been months in the making for the Pirates, who secured the No. 1 overall selection when they blew a late lead on Sept. 26, 2020, and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred subsequently decided to keep the same draft rules in place — where the team with the worst record picks first, and there’s no lottery.
Back then, the presumptive No. 1 pick was Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker, who had seemingly cemented his status by dazzling during the 2019 NCAA tournament, twirling a no-hitter complete with 19 strikeouts. However, Rocker was merely a starting point. The path that led the Pirates to Davis was long and winding.
While Rocker dealt with sporadic dips in velocity during the college season, his rotation mate, Jack Leiter, shoved him out of the way when it came to the No. 1 overall pick. Pirates fans salivated over a rotation that could be anchored by Leiter, Quinn Priester, Roansy Contreras and a couple of their other emerging pitching prospects.
Alas, the spotlight eventually shifted away from Leiter, too. In part because of his own midseason slump, where Leiter was hammered for nine homers in six games, and also the strategy the Pirates seemingly plan to employ.
One where they can sign the first overall pick for below his slot value — this year, that’s $8,415,300 — and repurpose that money into later picks, looking to spread their draft pool around instead of lumping it into one pick.
Picking first overall for the fifth time in their history, this was also an historically strange top of the draft for the Pirates. Instead of one, clear-cut choice, Pittsburgh had to sift through as many as eight, all of whom are hugely talented and could impact their club, all of whom came with flaws.
Another defining characteristic of this draft, in addition to the tightly packed top, involves high school shortstops. Four of them, in fact. Marcelo Mayer, Jordan Lawlar, Khalil Watson and Brady House can become the first foursome of high school players at that position since the Robin Young-headlined class of 1973.
Split the group in half, and most teams saw Mayer and Lawlar as the better options — Lawlar from the right side of the plate, Mayer a left-hander. Their bat-to-ball skills are outstanding, scouts will tell you. There’s room to grow with adding weight and generating more power, but both have the defensive ability to stick at one of baseball’s glamor positions.
Watson and House, meanwhile, are no slouches. Watson might be the most athletic of the group, a multi-sport athlete in high school who many scouts feel has the highest upside of the group. House is the biggest size-wise and probably has the most power potential, although he’s also the most likely to have to move positions.
The Pirates have made no bones about needing catchers, and Davis checks that box in a big way.
Even Sal Frelick, a Boston College outfielder with an offensive game similar to that of the Pirates’ 2020 first-round pick, Nick Gonzales, warranted consideration, although Frelick would’ve been a stretch at No. 1 overall.
The process that brought the Pirates here was intense as well. General manager Ben Cherington and his staff made sure to cast a wide net, aware of the uniqueness at the top of this draft and also recognizing the importance of this pick for the Pirates.
“We have to get this right,” Cherington said on more than one occasion.
As recently as this past Wednesday, Cherington described the heated discussions that existed within the Pirates’ draft meetings, where he encouraged debate over picks to help build the organization’s draft board.
“We have to debate, debate, debate, disagree, disagree, disagree,” Cherington said. “Dive as deep as we can, then commit. Commit to a group and an order, and the order may tell us what to do. Or as we get into conversations with players, that may help us, too. We’ll just see.”
That led the Pirates to Davis, a player who will be charged with playing a huge role in the club’s long-term build, a safety net for their growing stable of pitchers. And now, they have a chance to do it again on Monday.
