Pirates Showing ‘No Panic’ With Former Highly Touted Prospect

Not every No. 1 overall pick pans out like Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes.

For every Skenes, there’s a Henry Davis, who has played in just 99 games since the Pirates selected him with the first pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.

Despite Davis’ struggles since joining the Pirates, the franchise hasn’t lost the belief that the 25-year-old catcher can still find a way to make an impact going forward.

“There’s no panic,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters, per Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Andrew Destin. “We know he’s going to be a good player. We know he’s going to be a good hitter.”

Davis broke through to the majors in 2023, but his first taste of the big leagues didn’t go well. The Louisville product batted .213 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 62 games. Davis produced even less last season, hitting .144 (15-for-104) in just 37 games.

But Davis, who was ranked as Pittsburgh’s No. 2 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline in 2022, showed signs with Triple-A Indianapolis that he can be a difference-maker in the lineup. Across 71 games at that level, he’s hit .320 with 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.

Davis just has yet to translate that to the big leagues, something he and the Pirates hope will come sooner rather than later.

“A lot of the things that have led me to be the hitter I am over the years, I kind of got away from it last year and never really was able to get my feet under me the last couple times in the big leagues,” Davis told the Destin. “But, encouraged by the direction I’m going. And obviously, (I’m) going to work every day and try to put myself in the best position I can be.”