Henry Davis is a Pirate only 2 seasons after he was drafted in 1st round, but Gerrit Cole beat him by 8 days

Henry Davis reached the majors only two seasons after he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021. But he’s not the team’s fastest since 2010 to draw an MLB salary after being selected in the first round.

Gerrit Cole beat him by eight days 10 years ago.

Eight of the Pirates’ first-round picks since 2010 made their MLB debuts with the team that drafted them. Here’s the breakdown:

2010

Jameson Taillon, RHP, No. 2 overall

Taillon reached the majors in 2016, but he has endured testicular cancer and Tommy John surgery.

He was 29-24 with a 3.67 ERA in four seasons with the Pirates before he was traded to the New York Yankees in 2021. He is 2-5 with a 6.71 ERA with the Chicago Cubs this season.

2011

Gerrit Cole, RHP, No. 1 overall

Cole joined the Pirates on June 11, 2013, starting and pitching into the seventh inning of an 8-2 victory against the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park.

Overall, he was 59-42 with a 3.50 ERA in five seasons with the Pirates. He also won a game against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2013 National League Division Series.

He was traded to the Houston Astros in 2018 and signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees in 2020.

2012

Mark Appel, RHP, No. 8 overall

Appel never signed with the Pirates, opting to go back to Stanford. He has pitched in only eight MLB games, all with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022.

2013

Austin Meadows, outfielder, No. 9 overall

Meadows played 49 games for the Pirates in 2018 before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in the Chris Archer deal. He’s now with the Detroit Tigers but played only six games this season before he was placed on the injured list with anxiety, according to team officials.

“The Tigers fully support Austin’s decision to step away from the team and prioritize his mental health,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said in a news release in April.

2014

Cole Tucker, infielder, No. 24 overall

Tucker reached the majors in 2019, but he never found a solid niche with the team. Since his release in 2022, he has played in the minors with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies organizations.

2015

Kevin Newman, infielder, No. 19 overall

Newman was a big-league player by 2018 and was a regular Pirates infielder — mostly at shortstop — for most of five seasons.

He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds before this season for relief pitcher Dauri Moreta.

2016

Will Craig, third baseman, No. 22 overall

Craig played in only 20 MLB games for the Pirates in 2020, hitting .203 with one home run and three RBIs. He has not played in the minors or MLB since 2021.

2017

Shane Baz, RHP, No. 12 overall

Another piece of the 2018 Chris Archer trade, Baz made nine major-league starts for Tampa Bay in 2021 and 2022. He is out this season after Tommy John surgery.

2018

Travis Swaggerty, outfielder, No. 10 overall

Swaggerty played in five games for the Pirates last season and is hitting .200 in 17 games with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.

2019

Quinn Priester, RHP, No. 18 overall

Considered one of the Pirates’ top prospects, Priester is 7-3 with a 4.70 ERA with the Triple-A Indians this season.

2020

Nick Gonzales, infielder, No. 7 overall

Gonzales is hitting .257 with six home runs and 26 RBIs with the Triple-A Indians.

2021

Henry Davis, catcher/outfielder, No. 1 overall

Davis started Monday night in right field for the Pirates after splitting time this season with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis.

2022

Termarr Johnson, shortstop, No. 4 overall

Johnson is batting .248 with five home runs and 23 RBIs for Single-A Bradenton this season.

Related:

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