Pirates Q&A: Too Soon to Give Up on Henry Davis? Cruz as DH? Plus More

Danny Demilio   |  

Mar 31, 2026

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Welcome back to another edition of our Pittsburgh Pirates Q&A. Let’s get to your questions.

Too soon to give up on Henry Davis? – Daniel Malone

It’s too soon to totally write off Davis because he’s turned himself into a really solid defensive catcher. He’s always had a good arm, which is part of the reason why he’s thrown out two of three attempted base stealers so far this year.

But even beyond that, he’s worked on his mechanics and game calling and is a trusted battery mate of Paul Skenes and the other pitchers on staff.

Offensively, it is a different conversation. It’s very early this season but I thought overall he’s looked better at the plate than he has the last couple years. With his defense, he doesn’t even have to be an All-Star level contributor at the plate. If he can simply be a competent player with the bat in his hands, that will go a long way. I still have some faith he can get there given his minor-league track record.

Cruz obviously only a dh – Todd Young

It’s getting to that point, which further adds to the confusion of the Pirates giving a substantial sum of money to Marcell Ozuna this offseason. Ozuna has a good track record and has had recent success, but the Pirates deciding to lock up the DH spot and give the bulk of the time there to one player — especially considering their defensive shortcomings — didn’t make much sense.

I believe that if the Pirates moved Cruz to DH, which they cannot do now with Ozuna on the roster making what he’s making, it could potentially unleash something. Cruz was never thrilled about moving off shortstop, so letting him focus solely on hitting instead of being worried about manning center could benefit him.

But again, all this is moot for now. And if they day ever came where Cruz did become a regular DH, it would be a shame given his skillset.

I am not worried yet after only Two games but that being said why do you think that Cruz keeps making the mistakes he is making and how are the Pirates going to go about fixing them? If Cruz puts all his talent together that would be a big lift for the Pirates. – Beck Ron

That’s the thing, Cruz has the tools to be a very good center fielder. He can run as fast as anyone and is capable of covering a lot of ground. His arm is elite, as evident by a game-saving relay he turned with Jared Triolo (who also made a fantastic play as the middleman) and Henry Davis on Sunday afternoon in New York.

But all the Pirates can do with Cruz at this point is keep working at it with him and make sure he remains focused and motivated and try not to let him get too discouraged. And perhaps use Jake Mangum as a late-game defensive sub when necessary.

At the very least, even if his defense continues to be subpar, getting consistent contribution from him at the plate would provide a huge boost as you said. He has the tools to consistently be a 30-30 player. Consistency is key, and he hasn’t showed much of it during his time in the big leagues.

How can this franchise shed Robbie Nothing? Forever doomed if he remains owner. – Scott Wendel

Well, Scott, the answer is they can’t. The only chance they have of getting a new owner is if Nutting decides to sell, which to this point there is no indication he’s even considering such a thought.

Nutting opened up the wallet a little bit this offseason, which was at least a little bit encouraging when compared to how he’s operated during his tenure as owner. But there’s a long way to go.

How can we eliminate these half-inning interviews where the play-by-play is pretty much ignored.  I tune in to watch a ball game.  If I want to hear interviews I watch a pre and POST-GAME show! – Mike Bowman

From your mouth to God’s ears, Mike. I cannot stand in-game interviews during regular season or postseason games. I get it during spring training — things are much more relaxed and it’s nice to hear from players or coaches after going months on end without seeing them.

But there is so much at stake when the game actually start to count. Distracting players with nonsense interviews while they’re competing is a major pet peeve of mine. Just let them play. And like you said, we’ll hear from them after the game.

I hope I didn’t sound too much like an old man yelling at the clouds there.

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