The Pittsburgh Pirates went against the grain by selecting Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the No. 1 overall pick.
Welcome to the 2021 MLB Draft.
While this year doesn’t feature a once-in-a-lifetime talent to headline the event, there’s still plenty of intrigue around the draft. There’s a trio of exciting high school shortstops, a pair of popular Vanderbilt pitchers and some powerful college hitters with plenty of upside. This draft is also the first since its debut in 1965 it takes place outside of June.
We'll provide live updates throughout the night as teams (minus the Houston Astros, in their second and final year of lost first- and second-round picks as punishment for sign stealing) make first-round selections. Names and analysis will be updated as picks are made.
No. 1 Pittsburgh Pirates: Henry Davis, C, Louisville
Davis is the best college bat in the draft, slashing .370/.482/.663 with 15 homers and 48 RBIs in his most recent season with Louisville. A composed and powerful hitter, Davis has a keen eye for pitches and can make hard contact or reel it in to draw walks (he had six more walks than strikeouts throughout his college career). Davis’s offensive strengths make up for some of his inconsistencies behind the plate, where he’s occasionally struggled to handle quality pitching. He improved in 2021 and should be able to stay behind the plate within the Pirates’s farm system.
Many mock drafts anticipated Pittsburgh would lean toward one of the high school shortstops—Marcelo Mayer and Jordan Lawlar got plenty of buzz—but the Pirates elected for the experience of Davis, a player who wasn’t drafted out of high school despite being Perfect Game’s top catcher from the state of New York in 2018.
No. 2 Texas Rangers: Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt
Leiter is considered by many to be the best college pitcher in the draft. He soared to star status in his final year at Vanderbilt, finishing 11-4 with a 2.13 ERA, 0.845 WHIP, 179 strikeouts (tied with Vandy teammate Kumar Rocker for most in the NCAA) and an appearance in the College World Series finals. Leiter’s fastball is elite and sits at 90-95 mph with a vertical break that consistently tricks hitters. His 6-foot-1 stature could be considered small for a starter, but he’s building strength that should help him climb up the minor ranks. He also has major league pitching in his blood—his father, Al Leiter, uncle and cousin all pitched in the majors.
Leiter had been linked to the Boston Red Sox ahead of the draft but was picked up by the Rangers. The selection tracks with Texas’s past three first-round picks—all seasoned college players.
No. 3 Detroit Tigers:
No. 4 Boston Red Sox:
No. 5 Baltimore Orioles:
No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks:
No. 7 Kansas City Royals:
No. 8 Colorado Rockies:
No. 9 Los Angeles Angels:
No. 10 New York Mets:
No. 11 Washington Nationals:
No. 12 Seattle Mariners:
No. 13 Philadelphia Phillies:
No. 14 San Francisco Giants:
No. 15 Milwaukee Brewers:
No. 16 Miami Marlins:
No. 17 Cincinnati Reds:
No. 18 St. Louis Cardinals:
No. 19 Toronto Blue Jays:
No. 20 New York Yankees:
No. 21 Chicago Cubs:
No. 22 Chicago White Sox:
No. 23 Cleveland Indians:
No. 24 Atlanta Braves:
No. 25 Oakland Athletics:
No. 26 Minnesota Twins:
No. 27 San Diego Padres:
No. 28 Tampa Bay Rays:
No. 29 Los Angeles Dodgers:
No. 30 Cincinnati Reds — Compensation Pick:
Competitive Balance Round A:
No. 31 Miami Marlins:
No. 32 Detroit Tigers:
No. 33 Milwaukee Brewers:
No. 34 Tampa Bay Rays:
No. 35 Cincinnati Reds:
No. 36 Minnesota Twins:
More MLB Coverage:
• Three Burning Questions as the Trade Deadline Looms
• The Charmed Season: Revisiting Derek Jeter’s Origin Story
• It's Time for the Next Chapter in Cleveland's Title Chase
• Forecasting Rookie of the Year Contenders Halfway Through the Season
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