The offensive upside for Henry Davis is appealing, but he’s had a tough time tapping into that this year, and that might have him ticketed for the minors.
The 2021 No. 1 overall pick broke camp as the Pirates’ starting catcher, but he’s struggled mightily at the dish so far this season. He’s 11-for-65 (.169) this season with a .497 OPS. He’s yet to hit a home run, has three doubles and 27 strikeouts to 10 walks.
Pittsburgh had been so tantalized by his bat that last year they brought him up as a right fielder so he had a more direct path to playing time and didn’t have to get caught up in the rigors of being a catcher. Perhaps the workload of also catching this season is wearing on him, but whatever the case is, something isn’t working.
Given he still has minor league options, sending Davis to Triple-A so he can regroup and regain his confidence might not be the worst idea. They have Joey Bart on the roster right now, and Yasmani Grandal is on a rehab assignment. In other words, there could soon be a roster crunch that sends Davis down to Indianapolis.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton wouldn’t commit to any specific direction when asked about Davis during his weekly appearance on 93.7 The Fan with Joe Starkey and Paul Zeise.
“I think whatever we do, whenever we do it with Henry Davis, we’re going to do it with Henry Davis in mind,” Shelton said. “Because he is important to us and we do believe in him as a player. …
“I think you used a word there that’s really important and very difficult for Major League hitters: relax. Especially young hitters. When things aren’t going good, it’s easier to go the other way, probably at times it looks like he’s gripping the bat really tight.
“We’ve got to get him to relax because your point is correct, when he’s in the middle of the field, that’s when he’s at his best. And that’s the conversation we’re having with him every day right now. … When you’re a young player in the big leagues, sometimes it goes fast. And we’ve got to get him back to what his roots are and using the whole field.”
Shelton hasn’t hesitated to pinch hit for Davis. One could argue that given the Pirates aren’t a true contender, letting Davis hit late in games in tough spots could be good for his development.
But the manager took the position that Pittsburgh is trying to win games, and the situation dictates what he does.
“If we see the opportunity to help us win a game, we’re going to put ourselves in that opportunity. Some of those opportunities have been we hit for Henry Davis. We hit for Joey Bart the other day, we’ve hit for Rowdy (Tellez), for Connor Joe and Alika (Williams). So I think right now it’s just whatever we feel best (positions) us to win a game, we’re going to do.”
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