Mock MLB Draft Roundup: Where Louisville's Henry Davis is Projected to Land
(Photo of Henry Davis via University of Louisville Athletics)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After being scheduled roughly one month later in the year than it normally is, the 2021 MLB Draft is now less than a week away. When the draft gets underway over a three-day period, starting on Sunday, Jul. 11, several Louisville baseball players are expecting to hear their name called.
The first Cardinal to hear their name called will be catcher Henry Davis, as he is regarded as one of the top prospects in the draft. It's not hard to see why, as he posted a slash line of .370/.482/.663, along with 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and 122 total bases.
As we inch closer to finding out where Davis will be heading to start his professional career, along with many other Louisville players, mock draft season continues to be in full swing. With outlets beginning to publish some of their final mocks of the draft season, where are they projecting Davis to go?
ESPN
At one point in time during the spring, Henry Davis was considered by a few outlets to potentially be the top draft prospect on the board. Since then, high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer has become the near-consensus projection to be the No. 1 overall pick.
However, according to ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel, Davis won't have to wait too long after the Pittsburgh Pirates select Mayer at No. 1. In his mock from June. 18, he is projecting the Texas Rangers to select Davis with the No. 2 overall pick. he believes the Rangers will choose from either Davis, Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Jack Leiter, or HS shortstop Jordan Lawler
The Athletic and MLB.com
Most mock drafts at this point in the cycle have Mayer and Lawler as the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the draft. Following a dominant end to his season, Leiter has also cemented his status as a top three pick among most pundits.
While the order of the prospects in the top three differs, both The Athletic and MLB.com have Davis going No. 4 overall to the Boston Red Sox. However, both The Athletic's Keith Law and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo say this pick is not concrete, and that the Red Sox are likely picking Davis, Leiter, or Vanderbilt right-hander Kumar Rocker.
CBS Sports
Beyond Mayer, Lawler and Leiter, a handful of other prospects have been projected to go in the top five. This includes high school shortstops Brady House and Kahlil Watson, as well as high school righty Jackson Jobe.
CBS Sports' Mike Axisa believes that Jobe will be the one to get the call from the Red Sox at No. 4, but that Davis will be hearing from the Baltimore Orioles at No. 5. It's an interesting pick, considering the O's took Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman at No. 1 overall in 2019.
Sporting News and Baseball America
Now we're getting into the territory that is considered the floor for Davis. The Arizona Diamondbacks are in possession of the No. 6 overall pick, and have been reportedly liked the thought of potentially taking Watson or Jobe if available.
But the general consensus is that one, if not both, will be gone at this point. If Davis is also still on the point by the time the Dbacks will be picking, both Sporting News' Edward Sutelan and Baseball America's Carlos Collazo are projecting Arizona to strike here, and that this is the lowest that Davis could go in the draft.
You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter:
Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI and Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp