Pirates No. 1 pick Henry Davis signs under slot value

Henry Davis went through the first-pick formalities of putting a black Pittsburgh Pirates cap on his head and slipping into a No. 1 white home jersey, then cracked a smile and straightened up in his seat.

After officially signing with the Pirates for a $6.5 million bonus — $1,915,300 under slot value — and being introduced virtually Sunday morning at PNC Park, the Louisville catcher and No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft was ready to get back to business.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” said Davis, 21, of Bedford, N.Y. “Getting signed right away, it’s important to me. I want to get playing. There’s no time to waste really. Making the most of it, getting right to work, I’m pretty happy about how it went.”

Pen to paper. ✍️ pic.twitter.com/bL1KPfDyy9

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 18, 2021

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington emphasized that Davis, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-handed hitter who slashed .370/.482/.663 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs this season, met both requirements that the club was seeking with its first selection.

“I think what was really important to us was two things: No. 1, we want to find the best player in the country; and, No. 2, we also want to find the right person that we could work together with to help us build a winning team in Pittsburgh,” Cherington said. “And we feel very excited and honored and confident we found that person in Henry Davis.”

Pirates GM Ben Cherington introduces No. 1 pick Henry Davis. pic.twitter.com/UVPxpe4NEQ

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 18, 2021

Signed by Pirates scout Adam Bourassa, Davis is the seventh Pirates draft pick to sign this weekend, joining their choices in rounds 5-10. Getting Davis to agree to terms so far under slot value allows the Pirates to spend above slot on their next four picks: prep pitchers Anthony Solometo, Bubba Chandler and Owen Kellington and outfielder Lonnie White Jr.

Cherington said Davis will report to Pirate City in Bradenton to play in the newly formed Florida Complex League, along with the team’s other draft picks, but didn’t rule out the possibility of a promotion this summer.

“Our guess is Henry is pretty ready to go, but we’ll just get started there and just get into a baseball routine again,” Cherington said. “It’s the easy way to do it. And we’ll see. We’ll see where it goes. We are not putting any limitation on where it might go, whether it’s with Henry or anyone else.”

No. 1 pick Henry Davis gets his first cuts in the cage at PNC Park since signing with the Pirates. pic.twitter.com/A5SLKXLq3S

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 18, 2021

Davis toured the Clemente Museum — which he called a “breathtaking experience” — and was in attendance to watch Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings hit a walk-off grand slam in a 9-7 win over the New York Mets on Saturday night before a season-best crowd of 27,222 at PNC Park.

Davis visited Pittsburgh for a predraft workout but said “what stood out to me the most was the people.”

“The ballpark was great, but everybody here had the same attitude: working towards winning,” Davis said. “Talking with them, that’s what really made me want to be a Pirate.”