Henry Davis Gets Vote of Confidence From Paul Skenes After Pirates’ Battery Shines
PITTSBURGH — Two Pittsburgh Pirates first-overall draft picks took center stage in their 7-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on Thursday night.
Paul Skenes, the top pick in the 2023 draft, continued to make a push for the National League Cy Young. The right-hander scattered seven hits across six-shutout innings and struck out eight batters without issuing a walk.
“Yeah, had to grind through it a little bit at times, but got my execution when I needed it,” Skenes said following his start. “It was good, I was happy with it.”
Davis meanwhile, had a big night with the bat in addition to handling Skenes and three Pirate relievers to deliver a shutout victory.
Davis, who the Pirates took with the first pick in 2021, hit a two-run homer as part of a two-hit game and scored a pair of runs. His homer was his first since June 7.
“That was great,” manager Don Kelly said of Davis. “He’s been hitting the ball well. A lot of hard contact, just not a lot to show for it. For him to get the two knocks and hit that one out was great. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team, goes out there and was hitting early batting practice today. He looked good in early BP and was able to carry it over in the game. It was really cool to see.”
Davis has become Skenes’ personal catcher this season. In addition to being able to call themselves No. 1 picks, the two share even more in common. Both are described as incredibly hard working students of the game who are always looking for ways to get better. It’s no wonder Skenes and Davis work well together.
“They are on the same page all the time,” Kelly said of the battery. “There’s a lot of communication there, not just on start days. It’s something that goes on throughout the week, in between starts, too, just the connection and camaraderie they’ve got. It’s impressive because Paul’s got all those pitches but rarely do you see him shake Henry.”
Though the two started off their professional careers in similar fashion, they’ve been on different paths as big-leaguers.
Skenes has taken the baseball world by storm since making his MLB debut last June. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year now owns an exceptional 1.95 ERA through 47 big-league starts.
Davis, meanwhile, is still trying to put it all together. Though his defense has improved drastically, the 25-year-old is slashing just .172/.254/.290 on the season and has a career .185 batting average and a .574 OPS.
Despite making harder contact this season than 2024, there hasn’t been much to show for, which Davis admitted has been challenging.
“We live in a crazy era that people can actually see all the information on how well you hit the ball and all that stuff. But it doesn’t really matter,” he explained. “Doesn’t really help your team win and obviously, that’s the goal here. I know when we do what we need to do here, I’ll be a driver in that. Just hitting the ball better, consistently committing to it, and keeping my head on straight when things might not go the way I want them to.”
As top picks, the two are viewed as franchise cornerstones to help try and propel Pittsburgh back into the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Skenes has undoubtedly become one. Davis is still trying to get there, but he received a vote of confidence from the Pirates’ ace following Thursday’s win.
“I mean he’s doing all the work. Doing everything right,” said Skenes. “When you do stuff right for a long period of time it typically shows up. Not surprised to see it. I think [success offensively will] continue for him.”
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