Henry Davis 'Honored' To Be Top Draft Pick, Credits Support System

The first player in Louisville history to be taken No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft, catcher Henry Davis credits the accomplishment to those around him.

(Photo of Henry Davis: George Walker IV - Tennessean.com)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Coming out of high school, Henry Davis didn't generate much draft interest. Despite being ranked as a top 250 prospect and the top catcher in the state of New York, the the Bedford native was not picked up in the 2018 MLB Draft.

But one team did show a little bit of interest. The day before the draft, the one and only team that called Davis was the Pittsburgh Pirates. There was a brief discussion about how much the organization would sign him for should they draft him, a number that Davis would turn down.

"I can promise you that's a lot less than you'll get me for out of college," he said.

While the front office for the Pirates has changed in the years since, their interest in him didn't waiver. When it came time for Pittsburgh to kick off the 2021 MLB Draft with the No. 1 overall pick, it was Davis who got the phone call.

The backstop became the first player in the history of the Louisville baseball program to be selected at No. 1 overall, and just the seventh catcher to be taken with the top pick in MLB Draft history. It's a pick which, this year, carries a slot value of $8,415,300.

"I'm just honored, honestly," Davis said. "I got a lot of amazing people in my life who have helped make this possible, so credit to them. I'm very excited."

Davis was first informed by Pirates general manager Ben Cherington that he was going to be their guy in the hours leading up to the draft. He couldn't inform his family just yet of the impending news, though they caught on pretty quickly.

"I was kind of just there alone (at the theater), and I just started smiling and pacing around, all nervous and anxious, kind of trying to take it all in and try to process it," he said. "When I saw my family, my mom actually picked up right away. When she like hugged me, she was like, 'You know something'."

Once the pick was in and made official to the rest of the baseball world, he couldn't wait to share that moment with the people who helped put him in that position, and give them the credit they deserve.

"They've done so much for me," he said immediately after he was selected "Nobody does anything special alone. You win in life with the right people, and i definitely have the right people by my side."

It his family was not the only person he wanted to share that moment with. Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell also made the trip to Denver, Colo. for the draft, and Davis was happy to share that moment alongside him as well.

"It's special." Davis said. "Getting to share it, he's done so much for my career, all the coaches at Louisville have. I owe so much to the program, that just being able to give back that little bit, I hope it a lot to him, because he means a lot to me."

It was an equally special moment for McDonnell, who watched Davis blossom from a freshman to someone whose work ethic and maturation rivals that of a Major League veteran.

"It was very happy, you just want hm to celebrate," McDonnell said. "They all work hard, but you can see certain players where-I hate to say above and beyond-but where their commitment level is. It was fun to watch Henry's maturation from freshman year to (now)."

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