Pirates All 40: Make or Break Season for Henry Davis?

This is one in a series of stories breaking down members of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.

Henry Davis has nothing left to prove as a minor-leaguer. However, he still has everything to prove in the big leagues.

The Pittsburgh Pirates made Davis the top pick when they drafted him out of Louisville in 2021. After he was selected, Davis ascended quickly throw the minor-league ranks before making his debut in Pittsburgh last season.

In four minor-league seasons in the Pirates’ system, Davis has slashed an impressive .290/.409/.535 in 181 games. This includes an excellent track record with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he has a .320/.424/.564 batting line with 18 doubles, 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 71 games.

But for Davis, his success in the top level of the minors has not yet translated to the Major Leagues.

Since making his debut in 2023, Davis has accumulated 99 games with the Pirates. Across the still relatively small sample size, Davis has hit just .191 with a .590 OPS with 14 doubles, eight home runs and 29 RBIs.

Strikeouts have been a big problem for Davis during his time in the big leagues. He’s gone down on strikes in over 30% of his plate appearances, including 36.9% of the time this past season.

Entering the 2025 season, the Pirates are in a difficult spot when it comes to Davis. There is pressure on him to perform, but the Pirates have a crowded catcher’s room with Joey Bart establishing himself as the primary option in 2024 and Endy Rodríguez set to return from Tommy John surgery.

Starting Davis back at Indianapolis is certainly an option, but given what he’s done in his career at Triple-A, it probably doesn’t serve him much good.

Eventually, Davis will have to prove he can contribute in the major leagues, at least with the bat in his hands.

Defensively, Davis is still a question mark. While the Pirates have been adamant that his defense behind the plate has improved, he was still responsible for minus-four defensive runs saved in 34 games at catcher last season.

While he possesses a strong arm, he hasn’t graded well in terms of pitch framing or blocking, either.

Davis needs to silence a few critics, whether it be on offense or defense in 2025. Otherwise, the Pirates’ 2021 first pick is looking more like a bust.