July 11 (UPI) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates picked Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the No. 1 overall pick in MLB's 2021 amateur draft Sunday night.
In a draft without a clear-cut No. 1 prospect, it remained uncertain who the Pirates -- picking first for the first time since taking Gerrit Cole in 2011 -- were going to take until their selection was revealed from Denver's 5,000-seat Bellco Theater.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the draft picks from the venue, which welcomed a number of fans for the first time. Previous drafts took place at MLB Network's studio in Secaucus, N.J., which hosted only media and small groups of friends and family.
Davis had a .370 batting average with 15 home runs over 50 games for the Cardinals this year. During his freshman season in 2019, he hit .280 with three homers.
The 21-year-old Davis, who becomes the second catcher taken first overall in the past three years, also is praised for his top-shelf arm strength.
The Texas Rangers took Vanderbilt right-hander Jack Leiter with the No. 2 overall pick. Leiter, the son of former All-Star pitcher Al Leiter, was 11-4 with a 2.13 ERA for the Commodores in 2021, notching 179 strikeouts in 110 innings.
At No. 3, the Detroit Tigers went with Oklahoma high school pitcher Jackson Jobe. He was expected to be the first high school pitcher off the board after going 9-0 with a 0.13 ERA at Heritage Hall.
The American League East-leading Boston Red Sox selected fourth and chose shortstop Marcelo Mayer, who has drawn comparisons to Los Angeles Dodgers star infielder Corey Seager.
Mayer bashed 14 home runs during his senior year at Eastlake High School in California, falling one shy of the school record established by former No. 1 pick Adrian Gonzalez. Marcelo also had a .392 batting average with 45 RBIs.
The Baltimore Orioles, meanwhile, grabbed Sam Houston outfielder Colton Cowser with the fifth choice. He was the Southland Conference's Player of the Year after batting .374 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs.
The league trimmed the amateur draft from 40 rounds to five in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's event features 20 rounds over three days.
Day 2 of the draft starts at 1 p.m. EDT Monday with the beginning of the second round and will continue through the completion of Round 10. The draft concludes with rounds 11-20 on Tuesday.
Below is the first-round results from the 2021 MLB Draft:
Round 1:
1. Pittsburgh Pirates: Henry Davis, C, Louisville
2. Texas Rangers: Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt
3. Detroit Tigers: Jackson Jobe, RHP, Heritage Hall High School (Okla.)
4. Boston Red Sox: Marcelo Mayer, SS, Eastlake High School (Calif.)
5. Baltimore Orioles: Colton Cowser, OF, Sam Houston State
6. Arizona Diamondbacks: Jordan Lawlar, SS, Jesuit High School (Texas)
7. Kansas City Royals: Frank Mozzicato, LHP, East Catholic High School (Conn.)
8. Colorado Rockies: Benny Montgomery, OF, Red Land High School (Pa.)
9. Los Angeles Angels: Sam Bachman, RHP, Miami University (Ohio)
10. New York Mets: Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt
11. Washington Nationals: Brady House, SS, Winder Barrow High School (Ga.)
12. Seattle Mariners: Harry Ford, C, North Cobb High School (Ga.)
13. Philadelphia Phillies: Andrew Painter, RHP, Calvary Christian Academy (Fla.)
14. San Francisco Giants: Will Bednar, RHP, Mississippi State
15. Milwaukee Brewers: Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College
16. Miami Marlins: Kahlil Watson, SS, Wake Forest High School (N.C.)
17. Cincinnati Reds: Matt McLain, SS, UCLA
18. St. Louis Cardinals: Michael McGreevy, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
19. Toronto Blue Jays: Gunnar Hoglund, RHP, Ole Miss
20. New York Yankees: Trey Sweeney, SS, Eastern Illinois
21. Chicago Cubs: Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State
22. Chicago White Sox: Colson Montgomery, SS, Southridge High School (Ind.)
23. Cleveland Indians: Gavin Williams, RHP, East Carolina
24. Atlanta Braves: Ryan Cusick, RHP, Wake Forest
25. Oakland Athletics: Max Muncy, SS, Thousand Oaks High School (Calif.)
26. Minnesota Twins: Chase Petty, RHP, Mainland Regional High School (N.J.)
27. San Diego Padres: Jackson Merrill, SS, Severna Park High School (Md.)
28. Tampa Bay Rays: Carson Williams, SS, Torrey Pines High School (Calif.)
29. Los Angeles Dodgers: Maddux Bruns, LHP, UMS Wright Prep School (Ala.)
Compensation picks:
30. Cincinnati Reds: Jay Allen, OF, John Carroll Catholic High School (Fla.)
Competitive Balance Round A:
31. Miami Marlins: Joe Mack, C, Williamsville East High School (N.Y.)
32. Detroit Tigers: Ty Madden, RHP, Texas
33. Milwaukee Brewers: Tyler Black, 2B, Wright State
34. Tampa Bay Rays: Cooper Kinney, 2B, Baylor High School (Tenn.)
35. Cincinnati Reds: Matheu Nelson, C, Florida State
36. Minnesota Twins: Noah Miller, SS, Ozaukee High School (Wis.)
