Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Sunday they've signed catcher Henry Davis, the first overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported it's a $6.5 million contract.

Davis was eligible for the 2018 draft coming out of Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York. Only one team called him that year to inquire about his contract demands to skip college: the Pirates.

"They asked what I wanted, they told me what they were offering, and we weren't even close," he told John Perrotto of Forbes last week.

Davis proceeded to shine across three years at the University of Louisville. He compiled a .337 batting average and .435 on-base percentage with 21 home runs, 84 runs batted in, 71 runs scored and 11 stolen bases across 109 appearances for the Cardinals.

He became the second catcher taken first overall in the past three years, joining the Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman. Before that, the last backstop to go No. 1 was Minnesota Twins legend Joe Mauer in 2001.

Catchers typically have a slightly slower development curve than other positions. Mauer didn't make his debut until 2004 and became a full-time MLB player for the first time in 2005. Rutschman is currently at the Double-A level in the O's system.

So the Pirates, who ultimately landed Davis despite the additional three-year wait, are likely going to wait a few more seasons before he's ready to help the big league club.

He's a terrific all-around prospect, however, with plenty of pop in his bat and rock-solid defense. He's also got the athleticism to eventually switch to another position, much like how Mauer moved to first base later in his career with the Twins.

All told, Davis is a low-risk selection who should be a franchise cornerstone once he reaches MLB.

The Pittsburgh Pirates hope they've found their catcher of the future.

Pittsburgh selected catcher Henry Davis with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 MLB draft on Sunday. The backstop from the University of Louisville is a potential foundational piece for the National League Central club, although the pick was still something of a surprise with players such as Marcelo Mayer and Jack Leiter available.

Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors noted Davis is the fifth player selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Pirates, and he joins the likes of Jeff King (1986), Kris Benson (1996), Bryan Bullington (2002) and Gerrit Cole (2011).

Polishuk also suggested there may have been more under consideration than just the Louisville product's on-field skill with this pick:

However, since multiple reports have indicated the Pirates plan to spread out their bonus pool money, it's fair to assume their choice of Davis may be tied to a willingness on his part to agree to a bonus south of the $8,415,300 assigned slot value for the first overall pick. Any money saved in signing Davis will allow Pittsburgh to allocate more of its $14,394,000 draft bonus pool to its other picks within the first 10 rounds.

The first thing that jumps out about Davis' game is his arm behind the plate.

That should immediately translate to the professional level as he joins a division that already features catchers with formidable arms in Yadier Molina and Willson Contreras. From his perspective, Davis is already looking ahead to what he needs to improve around his arm.

"I'm going to reach my potential defensively," he said, per Alexis Brudnicki of Baseball America. "I'm not close to it yet. I can be a very, very good defensive catcher, and I'm already there throwing-wise. I'm close blocking, and I'm only going to continue to make progress behind the plate."

MLB.com ranked the newest member of the Pirates as the fifth-best prospect in the 2021 draft behind Mayer, Leiter, Jordan Lawlar and Kahlil Watson.

He slashed .370/.482/.663 with 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases this past season and projects to be a force offensively in addition to his ability to throw out base stealers.

If he lives up to that potential, he can help turn things around in Pittsburgh for a team that has not made the playoffs since 2015.

Javier Baez has a knack for making the spectacular look routine on a baseball diamond, but not even the Chicago Cubs star could have drawn up what happened Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

After Baez hit a ground ball to third base, Pirates first baseman Will Craig took a throw from Erik Gonzalez that pulled him off the bag. Rather than step on first to end the inning, Craig decided to engage Baez in a rundown between home plate and first base:

Willson Contreras, who was on second base at the start of the play, came all the way around to score when Craig's toss home hit off catcher Michael Perez's glove. 

The official scorer's ruling on the play was an fielder's choice, and Perez was charged with an error when his throw to first base skipped away, allowing Baez to get to second. 

That was a total lapse in judgment on Craig's part. Even ignoring that there were two outs, all he had to do when he caught Gonzalez's throw was to step on the bag. 

Based on the reaction from Anthony Rizzo after the play, the Cubs dugout seemed to enjoy watching Baez fake out Craig in one of the most bizarre moments of the 2021 season. 

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez was found guilty on 15 counts including statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact or communication with a minor, indecent assault and corruption of a minor, among other charges, on Thursday, according to Rich Cholodofsky of TribLive.com.

The 29-year-old Vazquez had a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old girl in 2017.  

He was found not guilty on 10 other counts, including charges of unlawful contact or communication with a minor. Per that report, "he was acquitted of the 10 charges related to sexually explicit text messages, pictures and videos prosecutors said Vazquez and the teen exchanged over the two years before his arrest in September 2019 and found by police on the pitcher’s laptop."

Vazquez and his defense team had claimed that the MLB pitcher believed the girl was 18 when they met, not a minor. The prosecution countered that Vasquez referred to the girl as "kid" in a number of the messages they exchanged and that her appearance should have tipped him off that she wasn't 18. 

Vazquez argued that she dressed and acted like an older woman. 

“The jury believed he used his position as a professional athlete to prey upon a young girl,” assistant district attorney Jim Lazar said Thursday.

He is also facing charges in Florida for a sexual encounter with the same girl, after she moved to the state in 2018, and in Missouri on pornography charges after he and the girl reportedly sent each other sexually explicit messages in 2019.

Vazquez last pitched in Major League Baseball in the 2019 season. 

Former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rennie Stennett died Tuesday of cancer. 

He was 72.

A World Series champion with the Pirates in 1979, Stennett's career helped continue breaking down barriers for minority players two decades after Jackie Robinson's last MLB game. Stennett was a member of the first all-Black starting lineup in league history, leading off against the Philadelphia Phillies in September 1971 as a 20-year-old rookie and going two-for-five with one run and an RBI. 

“We are saddened by the loss of such a beloved member of the Pirates family. Rennie was a great player on the field, and an even better person off of it,” Pirates president Travis Williams said in a statement. “A member of our World Series championships in both 1971 and 1979 who remained a very active and cherished member of our Alumni Association, Rennie symbolized what it meant to be a Pittsburgh Pirate."

Stennett played 50 games during the '71 season, the year the Pirates won their fourth title in franchise history, but was left off the World Series roster. 

The native of Colon, Panama, appeared in at least 106 games over each of the following nine years, finishing his career with two seasons as a member of the San Francisco Giants from 1980-81. 

In 1,237 games, Stennett compiled a career .274/.306/.359 slash line with 41 home runs, 75 stolen bases, 207 walks and 348 strikeouts. His record seven-for-seven hitting in a nine-inning game still stands. 

Stennett's accomplishment came during the 1975 season in a 22-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. His first hit came off Cubs starter Rick Reuschel while the seventh was hit off Paul Reuschel, Rick's brother. 

“Rennie was proud to be a member of the first all-minority lineup in Major League Baseball history when he took the field with his teammates 50 years ago on September 1, 1971,” Williams said. “And who could ever forget when he famously went 7-for-7 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 16, 1975, becoming the first, and still, only player in the modern-era to accomplish the feat in a nine-inning game. Rennie’s legacy will live on here with the Pirates and through his family he loved dearly."

As the Pittsburgh Pirates continue their quest to shed payroll, starting pitcher Jameson Taillon appears to be the next player who will be traded. 

Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand and Adam Berry, Taillon "will be the next Pirates player to be traded—possibly in the next day or two."

Rumblings about a Taillon trade come after the Pirates sent Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres as part of a three-team trade that also included the New York Mets on Tuesday. 

Pittsburgh received Hudson Head, David Bednar, Omar Cruz, Drake Fellows and Endy Rodriguez in that deal. 

Taillon will earn $2.25 million in 2021 and has one more year of arbitration remaining in 2022. The 29-year-old hasn't pitched since May 1, 2019 because of a forearm injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery three months later, causing him to miss all of last season. 

Injuries have played a significant role in Taillon's professional career. He previously had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in April 2014 while pitching in the minor leagues. 

When Taillon has been healthy, he's been an effective starter with a 3.67 ERA in 82 career starts. The right-hander had a breakout season in 2018 with a 3.20 ERA, 179 strikeouts and two complete games in 32 starts. 

Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Oneil Cruz is cooperating with authorities in connection to a crash in his native Dominican Republic.

According to Dominican paper Diario Libre (via Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Cruz was driving a Jeep in the opposite direction of a motorcycle carrying three people. The vehicles collided, and the report notes the three people on the motorcycle died as a result of the crash.

Cruz's agent, Rafa Nieves, told Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic the 21-year-old shortstop is "fine" and "good" but declined to go into any specifics about the accident.

Mackey spoke to a source who said alcohol wasn't a factor in the crash.

He also shared a statement from Pirates senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki: "The Pirates are aware of the tragic accident in the Dominican Republic involving Oneil Cruz. We have been in contact with Oneil and he is cooperating fully with the local authorities. We will provide an update as more information becomes available."

Pittsburgh acquired Cruz in July 2017 from the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the Tony Watson trade. MLB.com ranks him as the franchise's third-best prospect behind Nick Gonzales and Ke'Bryan Hayes.

Every Pittsburgh Pirates player will wear No. 21 on Sept. 9 in recognition of Roberto Clemente Day, the club announced Wednesday. 

Following the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to the Clemente Foundation and Pirates Charities.

"Since 1973 the only persons allowed to wear No. 21 in a Pirate uniform would had been any of the three sons. I became the closest to have that honor, but didn't continue to play to reach the Major League level," said Luis Clemente. "History will be made this September 9 and we would like to express our deepest gratitude to Derek Shelton for his initiative and supporting the Clemente Family endeavors. We thank Bob Nutting and the Pirates organization for continuing the goodwill of the Clemente name in their community efforts."

Clemente died in a plane crash Dec. 31, 1972 while attempting to deliver a relief package to Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake in its capital city of Managua. One of baseball's greatest humanitarians, Clemente made 15 All-Star teams and two World Series championships during his career with the Pirates. The Baseball Hall of Fame elected Clemente to the class of 1973, allowing him to forgo the typical waiting period after his death.

No Pittsburgh player has worn Clemente's No. 21 since his death. 

"Our staff and players are excited to wear the number 21 with pride as we constantly search for ways to not only honor Roberto's legacy but to keep his memory alive through our community actions," said Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting. "We recognize what this moment represents for all of us within the organization, the Clemente Family, our fans, and the people of Puerto Rico. We take great pride in representing such a great ambassador of the game."

Major League Baseball has celebrated Roberto Clemente Day for each of the last 18 seasons. 

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, who faces numerous felony charges related to alleged sex crimes with a minor, said Tuesday that police officers lied last year when they said he confessed to having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

Vazquez is seeking to have evidence collected by the Pennsylvania State Police and Florida Department of Law Enforcement thrown out. He said in a pretrial hearing Tuesday he was scared of being shot when he met with officers Sept. 17 last year because of his experience with police in his native Venezuela, per Rich Cholodofsky of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

"People are scared of police. You have to do whatever they say, or they will put you in jail or shoot you," Vazquez said.

Vazquez and Pennsylvania state trooper Michael Thompson gave different accounts of the September meeting in which the two-time All-Star allegedly confessed, per T.J. Quinn of ESPN. Thompson said officers entered Vazquez's apartment peacefully after being invited in; Vazquez said officers forced their way into his home. Thompson alleged Vazquez admitted to having intercourse with the girl, which Vazquez denies.

Vazquez has been charged with statutory sexual assault of a minor, unlawful sexual contact with a minor, child pornography and corruption of a minor, among other charges, for the alleged sexual relationship he had with the 13-year-old. Parents of the girl alerted authorities after finding naked pictures, purportedly of Vazquez, on her phone.