The 2021 MLB Draft kicked off Sunday, part of All-Star Week for the first time, with the first round at the Bellco Theatre in Denver.
Here’s what you need to know about what happened in the first round.
• Davis is only the seventh catcher in history to be drafted No. 1 overall. He’s also only the second in the past 20 years, but the second in the last three (Adley Rutschman, 2019). Before Davis and Rutschman, the last catcher drafted No. 1 overall was Joe Mauer in 2001.
• Davis is the first Louisville player to go No. 1 overall in school history. The previous high for a Cardinals player was Brendan McKay at No. 4 in 2017. Davis is also the second Louisville catcher taken in the first round in the last six Drafts — Will Smith went No. 32 overall to the Dodgers in 2016.
• Davis is the Pirates’ first No. 1 overall Draft pick in a decade and fifth all-time. Pittsburgh’s last No. 1 choice: Gerrit Cole to open the 2011 Draft. Cole went on to become an All-Star and fourth-place Cy Young finisher for the Pirates in 2015.
• Davis became just the eighth collegiate player to go No. 1 overall after going undrafted out of high school, but the second in a row. He joins Spencer Torkelson (2020), Casey Mize (2018), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Matt Anderson (1997), Kris Benson (1996), Andy Benes (1988) and Dave Roberts (1972).
Another big night for Vandy
• When right-hander Jack Leiter went second overall to the Rangers, it marked the third straight year — and fourth out of five — in which a Vanderbilt player was picked in the top five, following outfielder JJ Bleday (Marlins, fourth, 2019), infielder Austin Martin (Blue Jays, fifth, 2020) and pitcher Kyle Wright (Braves, fifth, 2017). Vandy now has four top-two picks since 2007: Leiter, Dansby Swanson (first, 2015), Pedro Alvarez (second, 2008), David Price (first, 2007).
• Leiter is Vanderbilt’s seventh top-five pick in the history of the regular June Draft. The only schools with more top-five picks are Stanford and Arizona State, with eight each — but Vanderbilt’s have all come since 2007.
• Leiter’s teammate, pitcher Kumar Rocker, fell to the Mets at No. 10 overall. The last time college teammates both went in the top 10 was in 2017, when Virginia had first baseman Pavin Smith go seventh to Arizona and outfielder Adam Haseley eighth to Philadelphia. This is also the second time Vanderbilt has pulled off the feat in the past seven years, after Swanson and Carson Fulmer (eighth, White Sox) did it in 2015. The last time two pitchers from the same team were both top-10 picks? That was 2011, when UCLA’s Gerrit Cole (Pirates) and Trevor Bauer (D-backs) went first and third, respectively.
• With Leiter and Rocker being selected, Sunday marked the 19th time in the last 20 Drafts that at least one pair of teammates, high school or college, was selected in the first round.
• The A’s drafted Max Muncy … again. Oakland’s first pick of the 2021 Draft, No. 25 overall, was the prep shortstop Muncy from Thousand Oaks High School in California — no relation to the Dodgers star Muncy.
But guess what? The Max Muncy who’s in the big leagues right now was also originally drafted by the A’s, in the fifth round in 2012. And guess what else? Both Max Muncys have the same birthday. The Dodgers’ Muncy was born on Aug. 25, 1990. The A’s Muncy was born on Aug. 25, 2002.
• Mississippi State right-hander Will Bednar, the 2021 College World Series’ Most Outstanding Player, was taken by the Giants at No. 14 overall. The last four CWS Most Outstanding Players have all been drafted in the first round — Bednar, Rocker (No. 10 by the Mets this year), Rutschman (No. 1 by the O’s in ’19) and Alex Faedo (No. 18 by the Tigers in ’17).
Since 2008, just seven other players had been drafted in the first round multiple times: Gerrit Cole (2008, ’11), Aaron Crow (2008, ’09), Tyler Beede (2011, ’14), Mark Appel (2012, ’13), Phil Bickford (2013, ’15), Brady Aiken (2014, ’15) and Nick Lodolo (2016, ’19).
• This is only the second time in Draft history that a college player has gone No. 1 overall in four consecutive years. The only other time that has happened was when five in a row were taken at No. 1 from 1994-98.
• This year saw a bit of a rebound for high school players. After 18 of the top 29 picks in 2020 — including each of the top seven — were college players, high schoolers accounted for five of the top eight and 15 of the 29 first-round selections in 2021, outnumbering college players taken.
• Three of the top 10 overall picks, and four other first-round picks, attended the inaugural MLB Draft Combine in June. Those players: Davis, Rockies No. 8 overall pick Benny Montgomery, Angels No. 9 overall pick Sam Bachman, Cubs No. 21 overall pick Jordan Wicks, White Sox No. 22 overall pick Colson Montgomery, Braves No. 24 overall pick Ryan Cusick and Reds No. 35 overall pick Matheu Nelson.
• Seven of the players selected on Sunday were attending the Draft in person: Davis, infielder Trey Sweeney (No. 20 overall, Yankees), Wicks, Montgomery, Cusick, right-hander Chase Petty (No. 26 overall, Twins) and catcher Joe Mack (No. 31 overall, Marlins).
• Right-handed pitchers were the most common position taken in the first round, with 11 drafted. There were also an MLB Draft-record 10 shortstops taken in the first round … but no second basemen or third basemen. It was the first time since 2002 that no third basemen were picked in the first round of the Draft (and the first since 2018 that there were no second basemen picked).
• The state with the most first-round picks this year was California, with five. Georgia was next with three, followed by Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas with two each.
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