Pittsburgh Pirates to Call Up Former No. 1 Draft Pick Henry Davis Ahead of Monday's Game vs. Chicago Cubs
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The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost six consecutive games and now all of a sudden are in third place in the National League Central.
One of the feel good stories of the first half of the season, Pittsburgh is now 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and two games behind the red-hot Cincinnati Reds.
The Reds have won eight straight games, and that turnaround coincides with the call-up of uber prospect Elly De La Cruz, so maybe the Pirates are trying to find the same lightning in a bottle as they are calling up top prospect Henry Davis in advance of Monday's game against the Chicago Cubs.
Davis, a catcher, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Louisville. He is the No. 3 prospect in the organization and is ranked No. 44 in all of baseball per MLB.com.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up heralded prospect Henry Davis. the top pick in the 2021 draft, to help the team that has lost six straight games and tumbled from the top spot in the NL Central. https://t.co/VLlzbSsJu5
— WPXI (@WPXI) June 19, 2023
The following is from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:
Davis was the top-ranked college bat in the Draft class of 2021, one who used a huge junior season that spring to catapult him to the top of the Pirates’ board. Pittsburgh was able to save some money by taking the Louisville product No. 1 overall, but they also coveted his bat and work ethic. He showed glimpses of both during his first full season, with wrist injuries limiting him to just 59 games, though he did make up for some lost reps in the Arizona Fall League.
Davis’ setup at the plate is a bit unorthodox, but even though he missed considerable time in 2022, he still showed that he’s likely going to hit, and with plenty of power. He has a good approach at the plate, showing off excellent pitch recognition, and he can hit the ball hard to all fields. The right-handed hitter does crowd the plate, a big reason why he got hit 20 times in 2022 (which led to the wrist ailment) and it’s something he might need to adjust to avoid the injury bug.
He's hitting .284 this season in the minor leagues with 11 home runs and 30 RBI. In addition to catcher, Davis has been playing outfield, per this report from Rotowire's fantasy baseball portal:
The Pirates plan to promote Davis from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
The 2021 first-round pick was promoted from Double-A Altoona to Indianapolis just two weeks ago, and he's now poised to make his MLB debut after posting a .946 OPS in 10 games at Triple-A. Austin Hedges has a .473 OPS while working as Pittsburgh's primary backstop this year, and Davis should represent a significant offensive upgrade as one of the top catching prospects in baseball. Davis has also made 13 starts in right field between Altoona and Indianapolis this season, giving him another avenue to playing time on days that he doesn't catch.
The Pirates host the Cubs at 7:05 p.m. ET.
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