Henry Davis Selected by Pirates with No. 1 Overall Pick in 2021 MLB Draft

The Pittsburgh Pirates hope they've found their catcher of the future.

Pittsburgh selected catcher Henry Davis with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 MLB draft on Sunday. The backstop from the University of Louisville is a potential foundational piece for the National League Central club, although the pick was still something of a surprise with players such as Marcelo Mayer and Jack Leiter available.

Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors noted Davis is the fifth player selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Pirates, and he joins the likes of Jeff King (1986), Kris Benson (1996), Bryan Bullington (2002) and Gerrit Cole (2011).

Polishuk also suggested there may have been more under consideration than just the Louisville product's on-field skill with this pick:

"However, since multiple reports have indicated the Pirates plan to spread out their bonus pool money, it's fair to assume their choice of Davis may be tied to a willingness on his part to agree to a bonus south of the $8,415,300 assigned slot value for the first overall pick. Any money saved in signing Davis will allow Pittsburgh to allocate more of its $14,394,000 draft bonus pool to its other picks within the first 10 rounds."

The first thing that jumps out about Davis' game is his arm behind the plate.

That should immediately translate to the professional level as he joins a division that already features catchers with formidable arms in Yadier Molina and Willson Contreras. From his perspective, Davis is already looking ahead to what he needs to improve around his arm.

"I'm going to reach my potential defensively," he said, per Alexis Brudnicki of Baseball America. "I'm not close to it yet. I can be a very, very good defensive catcher, and I'm already there throwing-wise. I'm close blocking, and I'm only going to continue to make progress behind the plate."

MLB.com ranked the newest member of the Pirates as the fifth-best prospect in the 2021 draft behind Mayer, Leiter, Jordan Lawlar and Kahlil Watson.

He slashed .370/.482/.663 with 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases this past season and projects to be a force offensively in addition to his ability to throw out base stealers.

If he lives up to that potential, he can help turn things around in Pittsburgh for a team that has not made the playoffs since 2015.