Pirates No. 1 draft pick Henry Davis smashing in pro debut, Baseball America rankings

Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft, had a pair of smashing debuts for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Davis went 2 for 4 with a double, a two-run homer and three RBIs in his professional debut Tuesday for the Pirates Black squad in a 16-10 loss to the FCL Rays in the first game of a doubleheader in the Florida Complex League.

First game: ✔️
First home run: ✔️ pic.twitter.com/dmYoxnAfSR

— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) August 4, 2021

On Wednesday, Baseball America ranked the 6-foot-2, 210-pound catcher from Louisville who signed for a $6.5 million bonus the No. 2 prospect in the Pirates’ minor-league system.

“Pittsburgh’s decision to take Davis No. 1 overall accomplished two things,” Baseball America’s Mark Chiarelli wrote. “It landed the clear-cut top college bat in the 2021 draft, and it saved nearly $2 million, freeing the team up to aggressively pursue a trio of talented high schoolers on Day 2 of the draft and land four of the 32 best prospects in the class.”

That didn't take long. @Pirates No. 1 pick Henry Davis went yard in his first FCL game.

He's one of the top names in this morning's prospect report. https://t.co/s3UYdNPtYG

(? by @tdfoto) pic.twitter.com/Fp3g8GGyuR

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) August 4, 2021

Davis is one of six newly acquired players to make the top 30, as he was joined by shortstop Tucupita Marcano (No. 7), right-handed pitcher/shortstop Bubba Chandler (No. 13), left-hander Anthony Solometo (No. 21), outfielder Lonnie White Jr. (No. 22) and catcher Carter Bins (No. 24).

Marcano was acquired from San Diego in the Adam Frazier trade — Baseball America called him a “plug-and-play type who could soon find his way to Pittsburgh” — and “an arrow-up name” in Bins from Seattle in the Tyler Anderson deal, thanks to “above-average defensive tools across the board and burgeoning power.”

The others were all draft picks. Chandler, a Clemson quarterback recruit, was selected in the third round and signed for $3 million. Solometo, a North Carolina recruit, was taken in the second and signed for $2.8 million. White, a Penn State wide receiver recruit, was chosen in the Competitive Balance B round and signed for $1.5 million.

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With Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes graduating from prospect status, Double-A Altoona shortstop Oneil Cruz ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the Pirates’ system by Baseball America.

Cruz is followed by three first-round picks in Davis and High-A Greensboro right-hander Quinn Priester (2019) and second baseman Nick Gonzales (2020). Greensboro shortstop Liover Peguero, acquired from Arizona in the Starling Marte trade, is ranked fifth.

Other newcomers to the Baseball America top 30 rankings include Altoona right-hander Roansy Contreras, Greensboro righty Michael Burrows, two players acquired in trades — catcher Endy Rodriguez (Mets) at No. 17 and shortstop Maikol Escotto (Yankees) at No. 18 — and outfielders Matthew Fraizer and Rodolfo Nolasco.

Baseball America credited Pirates general manager Ben Cherington for his draft picks, trades and international signings that have “replenished Pittsburgh’s lower levels with high-risk, high-reward type returns.”

“The result is a system teeming with talent at multiple levels,” Baseball America wrote, “ranging from an exciting lineup in Altoona all the way to an international program that has caught the attention of other teams as well.”