Louisville’s Henry Davis was the first pick of the Major League Baseball’s annual amateur draft (MLB) 2021. The draft, which began on Sunday, is a three-day affair. The 30 teams are set to make 36 picks on the first day.
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Here are the top three picks on the MLB Draft 2021:
1) Henry Davis – Catcher
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the first pick in baseball’s amateur draft on Sunday night. This makes Davis the ninth Louisville player selected in the first round of the MLB Draft. He was named an All-American by all six publications and was a finalist for the Buster Posey Award. Only Brendan McKay and Corey Ray are the other Cardinals to have been selected in the top five picks of the draft.
2) Jack Leiter – Pitcher
Jack Leiter was the second pick of the draft when the Rangers selected him. This made him the first local player to go second since Pedro Alvarez of Washington in 2008. The 21-year-old has a mid-to-high 90’s mph fastball and a hammer curve. Leiter, 6-foot-1, 205-pound, was taken in the 20th round out of high school by the Yankees two years ago. In his college debut on February 18, 2020, Leiter pitched five no-hit innings while striking out 12, leading Vanderbilt to a 3-0 victory over the University of South Alabama.
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3) Jackson Jobe – Pitcher
The Detroit Tigers selected Heritage Hall High School, Oklahoma pitcher Jackson Jobe as the third overall pick in the MLB Draft.
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“We’ve been fortunate to scout and draft some great high school pitchers over the years, and Jackson ranks up there with some of the best we’ve seen,” Tigers general manager Al Avila said in a released statement, as per Detroit Press.
Marcelo Mayer, Colton Cowser and Jordan Lawlar were some other top picks on Sunday.
The draft, which was shortened to five rounds last year due to the pandemic, will hold 20 rounds. Rounds 2-10 will take place on Monday and rounds 11-20 will take place Tuesday local time.