Hudson Valley Native Shockingly Chosen #1 in MLB Draft

Many draft experts were shocked after a Hudson Valley native was taken with the first pick in the Major League Baseball Draft.

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Henry Davis, 21, was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the first pick in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Davis, a catcher out of Louisville, is from Westchester County. He grew up in Bedford, recently named one of the safest cities in America, and went to Fox Lane High School.

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“I’m just honored, honestly,” Davis said, according to MLB.com. “I’ve got a lot of amazing people in my life who have helped make this possible, so credit to them. I’m very excited.”

Davis is the first person from Westchester County to be drafted with the number one pick since Rye's B.J. Surhoff was taken with the top pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1985.

Davis spent his COVID-19 offseason in his hometown of Bedford, according to MLB.com. To try and get more work in he reached out to Matt Barnes and Adam Ottavino to catch their bullpen sessions. The by both accepted, and Ottavino who was with the New York Yankees at the time hooked Davis with Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka who gave Davis advice on improving his defense.

Cleary the training worked, because Davis was named a finalist for the Buster Posey Award, given annually given to the best college baseball catcher, and selected with the top pick in the 2021 MLB draft.

Davis hit .370 this season with 15 home runs. On the 20-80 scouting scale his arm is graded out as a 70, elite.

Draft experts expected Davis to be selected early in the 2021 MLB Draft but few mock drafts had him going first, according to MLB.com. Davis didn't know he was going #1 until about an hour before the draft.

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