Perrotto: Henry Davis Takes an Unexpected Step

When Henry Davis first entered professional baseball, the biggest criticism was that he might not be able to handle the demands of being a catcher in the big leagues.

Davis did little to dispel that notion last year when he got his first extended action behind the plate for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had minus-4 defensive runs saved in 34 games. Pitchers were uncomfortable in the games Davis caught.

Being a productive offensive player seemed to be the only way for Davis to stay in the major leagues and justify the Pirates’ taking him first overall in the 2021 amateur draft.

However, Davis has yet to show he can have consistent success with the bat at the big-league level. In eight games since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier this month, when catcher/first baseman Endy Rodriguez was placed on the injured list, Davis is batting .130/.167/.261 with one home run in 24 plate appearances.

Yet the one silver lining during Davis’ time in the big leagues this year is that he seems to have significantly improved his defense. Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes and manager Derek Shelton are among those who have talked about Davis’ improved game calling.

Davis’ work behind the plate has also made a good impression on general manager Ben Cherington, who has been rightfully criticized for using the 1-1 pick on Davis.

“So much confidence in him behind the plate with what he’s doing defensively with a pitcher, as a receiver, throwing and blocking,” Cherington said. “He earned that trust in spring training, certainly. At the end of spring training, there wasn’t a single person on our staff or a single pitcher who had any concern whatsoever with him being on the team and helping us win games as a catcher.

“When the injuries happened, we called him up, and there’s no concern about that. From my vantage point, he’s caught really strong games every time he’s been back here with the game calling, the throwing, the receiving, he’s into it, and his game prep is really good. It’s a good opportunity. He’s come in and done a good job.”

Now, the question is whether Davis can learn to hit big-league pitching. He has struggled since making his major-league debut in 2023.

That certainly didn’t seem to be an issue when Davis was drafted. In three collegiate seasons at Louisville, Davis batted .337/.435/.566 with 21 home runs in 109 games.

Davis has also hit well in 189 minor-league games over five seasons with a .290/.407/.529 slash line and 38 homers.

Yet Davis is slashing just .188/.276/.304 with nine homers in 107 games with the Pirates. He has struck out 117 times in 400 plate appearances.

It’s fair to ask if Davis will ever be a productive offensive player in the major leagues. Cherington is holding out hope.

“In most cases, the player development line is not straight, and in his case it’s not straight,” Cherington said. “It’s taken some twists, some left turns and some right turns, and it probably will continue to do that, but he’s worked so hard, in our opinion, to become a strong defensive catcher. He is that.

“Now, he’s working through some adjustments offensively to get to a place he’s capable of. He’s got such a strong track record there, his work ethic is so strong, and his will is so strong where if there’s something in front of him, he finds a way to accomplish it. In my mind, that’s just someone you bet on long term. Right now, the current version of Henry Davis can help us win games.”

At least with his defense. Imagine that.