It's 2021 MLB draft day at the Bellco Theatre in Denver.
The Pittsburgh Pirates started the night by selecting Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the No. 1 overall pick, followed by the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, with the first 36 picks of this year's event scheduled to be made on Sunday. Rounds 2-10 will take place starting at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, and the draft concludes with Rounds 11-20 beginning at noon Wednesday.
Which of this year's highly regarded foursome of prep shortstops will come off the board first? Where will Vanderbilt co-aces Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker be selected? And which teams will make the picks that surprise everyone?
See below for analysis of all the picks in the first round from ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield and Dan Mullen, along with complete selections for every team in every round.
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Who is Davis? An arm-strength catcher coming out of high school, Davis hit .280 with three home runs as a freshman at Louisville in 2019, was hitting well before COVID-19 struck in 2020, and then exploded offensively this year, hitting .370/.482/.663 with 15 home runs and more walks than strikeouts in 50 games. While McDaniel grades his arm strength at 80, the rest of his defense needs work. He could follow a similar path to the last Louisville catcher taken in the first round, Will Smith of the Dodgers, as an offensive-minded backstop.
Why the Pirates took him here: In a year without a clear No. 1 overall prospect, the Pirates surprised some by opting for the catcher over one of this draft's four prep shortstops. But check out those numbers and it's not hard to see why Davis was the pick here as a slugging backstop from a major conference who should get to the majors quicker than any of the high schoolers around him in this class.
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Check out the highlights that make Jack Leiter a top prospect in this year's MLB draft.
2. Texas Rangers: Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt
Who is Leiter? The son of Al Leiter, who won 162 games in the majors, Jack became one of the most famous college players in recent years, even though he played just one full season at Vanderbilt. A draft-eligible sophomore after turning down the Yankees in the 2019 draft, Leiter went 11-4 with a 2.18 ERA for the College World Series runners-up, striking out 179 in 110 innings. He doesn't have the height scouts prefer in a right-handed pitcher -- he's listed at 6-foot-1 -- but he has a strong lower half and a deep arsenal of pitches.
Why the Rangers took him here: If there is going to be a true ace in this draft, it's going to be Jack Leiter. Leiter, along with Vanderbilt teammate Kumar Rocker, was the talk of college baseball this year and he has the stuff to match the hype for a franchise in need of high-end talent in its minor league system. -- Mullen
Compensation picks
30. Cincinnati Reds
Competitive balance round A
31. Miami Marlins
32. Detroit Tigers
33. Milwaukee Brewers
34. Tampa Bay Rays
35. Cincinnati Reds
36. Minnesota Twins
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July 12, 2021 at 03:34AM
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