Pirates Have 'No Panic' With Former No. 1 Pick
Few players enter the big leagues with more pressure than a former No. 1 overall pick.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a pair of former No. 1 overall picks make it to the big leagues over the last two seasons. Pittsburgh's No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 MLB Draft, right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes, blew expectations out of the water en route to having one of the greatest rookie seasons in MLB history, as he won the National League Rookie of the Year and finished third in the NL Cy Young race. The Pirates' No. 1 overall pick from the 2021 MLB Draft, right-handed hitting catcher Henry Davis, has struggled to find his footing since first arriving in the big leagues in 2023.
Despite the ups and downs Davis has endured, Pirates manager Derek Shelton believes he has what it takes and can become a solid player for Pittsburgh.
"The big leagues is hard, and there's times that you have to make adjustments," Shelton said. "It's not just in Henry Davis' case, but I think we've seen it throughout the course of the game, especially over the last five or six years, where guys have been pushed to the big leagues pretty quickly, and then all of a sudden they have a little bit of struggle and everybody panics. Well, there's no panic. We know he's going to be a good player. We know he's going to be a good hitter. To his point, and to a statistical point, he has been really good at every level and sometimes there's that transition into the big leagues."
Davis has played 99 games in the big leagues across the last two seasons and has posted a -2.0 Wins Above Replacement while slashing .191/.283/.307 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs. Those numbers pale in comparison to Davis' production in 181 games in the minor leagues, where he has posted a .290/.409/.535 slash line with 38 home runs and 124 RBIs.
The emergence of Joey Bart and return of Endy Rodríguez from Tommy John surgery also make Davis' path to being a consistent contributor at catcher more difficult. Bart will more than likely being the starting catcher after a solid 2023 season, leaving Davis and Rodríguez to fight for the back-up catcher spot when both players could use the consistent at-bats, whether it's in the big leagues or Triple-A Indianapolis.
Consistent ABs will be key for Davis and Shelton believes that the former No. 1 pick is well positioned heading into the 2025 season. If he can parlay those things in a successful Spring Training, Davis may become the player the Pirates hoped when they drafted him in 2021.
"I think the one thing we continually have to go back to with Henry is he didn't have a lot of minor league at-bats, and everything he's had the minor leagues, he's dominated," Shelton said. "So we need to give him a little tide. I really feel he's in a good spot and I think his approach his in a good spot."
