Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Five 2021 Draft Picks Starting Strong

Many of the Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 draft picks are getting their first extended look against professional players, so how have five of those prospects faired so far?

The Pittsburgh Pirates had the first overall pick in the 2021 draft. They used their high draft pick and allotted slot value to the best of their ability, and it showed. Because they went under slot with a few early picks, they were able to get some outstanding talent later on with over slot selections.

We’re about a month into the minor league season, and while we’re looking at small sample sizes, I want to take a glance at how some of the team’s 2021 draft picks are performing to kick off the 2022 campaign. Note that all of these prospects are college picks, given that all of their high school picks have yet to play this year. That includes some pretty notable names like Anthony Solometo, Bubba Chandler, and Lonnie White Jr. Regardless of how well or poorly some prospects are starting the 2022 campaign, let’s take a look at our first 2021 draft pick.

Catcher Henry Davis

When the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Henry Davis, he ended up being an under slot selection. This worked perfectly, as it helped them secure some of those highly talented high school picks we mentioned earlier. He might only have a small sample size of professional plate appearances under his belt, but he’s done exceptionally well since being drafted.

After putting up a 1.001 OPS and .439 wOBA throughout his college career at Louisville, Davis started his career with the Bucs off with eight hits through his first 31 plate appearances. Over half of those hits were extra bases, with two doubles, a triple, and three home runs. Davis has picked up where he left off in 2021 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

Davis, in 88 plate appearances, has 24 hits. He has hit four home runs, with two doubles and a triple. The slugging backstop has 18 K’s but eight walks as well. Another notable number is his five-for-six successful attempts at a stolen base. He might not be the fastest catcher ever, but he knows when he can take advantage of the other team and swipe an extra base.

Davis has some of the best power in the system. He’ll easily make enough contact with his plus-hit tool to make his 70-grade power work. Davis isn’t a phenomenal defender behind the dish and has spent eight games at designated hitter this year. With the amount of young catching depth in the system, a split between catcher and DH could be in his future. Regardless, he’s a guy with 30+ home run power who can give a .280 average and above-average on-base percentage each season.