The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the first pick in baseball’s amateur draft, with the Texas Rangers then taking Vanderbilt pitcher Jack Leiter. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the picks from Denver’s Bellco Theater. Major League Baseball moved the draft from its longstanding June slot to July’s All-Star weekend in an effort to better showcase its future stars. Davis has big power and an even bigger arm, throwing out 46% of would-be base stealers to become a finalist for the Buster Posey Award as college baseball’s best defensive catcher.
ROCKIES
The Colorado Rockies selected high school outfielder Benny Montgomery at No. 8 overall on Sunday. Montgomery played at Red Land High School in Pennsylvania.
