What can No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis bring to the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Henry Davis made history on Sunday, becoming the first Louisville Cardinals baseball player to be selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft. The All-American catcher was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but found out an hour before the draft that he was going to be the top pick. He waited until the news actually broke, though, to tell his parents. For much of the season, it was understood that Davis would be a top-5 pick in the MLB Draft, with some analysts during the season ranking him the top prospect in the draft. He has a strong arm behind the plate, good eye and approach at the plate and has worked on his defensive mechanics religiously. He also has an attitude that is contagious to others. He has a work ethic that forces him to improve every day, which showed up in his offensive improvement, and constantly bets on himself, even when the Pirates talked to him out of high school about a contract. "They offered me a number and I said I wasnt going to sign," Davis said. "I said I could promise you that is a lot less youll get me for out of college." He was right. The slot value for the No. 1 overall pick is $8,415,300, but it's not guaranteed to be exactly that price. Regardless, here's what the Pirates are getting in the Louisville star. More:Louisville's Henry Davis becomes first overall pick in program history, drafted by Pirates  Growing offensive mind  When Davis was recruited to Louisville from Fox Lane High School in New York, hitting coach Eric Snider loved his arm, but didn't know about his offensive ability. Davis developed into a standout contributor at the plate, especially after his freshman season. He hit .370 in his next two years in 227 at-bats. He combined to hit 61 RBIs, 18 home runs and 84 total hits in the shortened 2020 season and full 2021 season. "He controls the strike zone. He moves the baseball and he has a good eye," Snide said. "Hes grown up and matured as a hitter. He put in the time. Hes very aware of opposing pitchers." He shows the ability to not just hit for contact and power, but also be patient at the plate. He had 52 walks the last two seasons and the coaching staff at Louisville raves about his eye at the plate. Snider once told The Courier Journal if Davis wanted to draw a walk every at-bat, he could. "He would probably lead the country in walks because he knows the strike zone and can pick up pitches," Snider said. "Theres a lot of kids who are in the dugout and the on-deck circle and they are taking swings and the they step up and they get in the box and some look up and say, 'Theres a left-handed pitcher on the mound.' But Henry knows that before stretch. He knows everything this kid is going to do." The great thing about Davis, is that there's still a lot of room for him to grow at the plate, as well. Also:How Louisville's Henry Davis became the most well-rounded position player in the country  Cannon of an arm  The thing that stands out the most about Davis is his arm. The 6-foot-2 and 210-pound catcher dominates the game with his arm strength behind the plate. In two and a half seasons, including the shortened 2020 season, Davis had 66 career assists. He had 33 assists this past season when he started 49 of 50 games. Snider told the Courier Journal that Davis' arm is so good that he dominates drills in practice, despite Louisville being known for its base running and stealing. "We do practice twice a week where we do first and third and bunt defenses and his arm just dominates that drill," Snider. said. This is something that won't go away any time soon. His arm is already pro ready. A focus on improving behind the plate  One of the conversations about Davis was whether he would play catcher at the next level and how he could grow defensively. He improved each year at Louisville with a .977 fielding percentage. He didn't have an error in the 14-game COVID-shortened season. The thing that stands out the most about Davis, though is his work ethic. Davis used to work on his defensive skills consistency in the backyard of his New York home with his father growing up. After he was selected he said he'd do anything in order to prove he can be a catcher at the pro level. More: Henry Davis joins these former Louisville stars as first-round MLB draft picks  "Its very important to me," he said. "I love to catch, I love to contribute every pitch so for make to do everything I can off the field and on the field during practice, what I do every day to be the best catcher I can be is the goal. There are very few things Davis has failed at in college. Since not being drafted out of high school, Davis went to work and turned himself into one of the best college baseball players in the country. And being the No. 1 overall pick  and Louisville's first  the last thing he's going to do is rest on his laurels. "Everything in life I have to get better at. Im never really comfortable at any part of my game," Davis said. "The potential for improvement really excites me and the way Im going to go about it work hard every single day. The results will show and Im going to be a catcher for a long time." Cameron Teague Robinson CTeagueRob@gannett.com; Twitter: @cj_teague;