Henry Davis is proving Pirates right and wrong at the exact same time

Henry Davis is giving the Pirates everything they could reasonably ask for behind the plate — except the one thing they now need most.

Offense.

Through 74 at-bats, Davis is slashing .162/.253/.284 (.537 OPS), and the underlying trends make it even more concerning than the surface numbers. This isn’t just bad luck or a slow start. It’s a hitter fighting himself.

The strangest part? The Pirates are 14-8 when Davis is catching. That speaks volumes about his game-calling, his rapport with a young pitching staff, and the overall trust he’s built defensively. He’s helping them win — just not with the bat.

That’s where the tension lies — because this version of Davis at the plate simply isn’t sustainable for a team that has legitimate aspirations of taking a step forward in 2026.

Pirates can't afford to ignore Henry Davis' most concerning weakness at the plate

Davis' biggest red flag jumps off the page: 32.2% of his batted balls are pulled grounders. Pair that with just 11.9% of balls hit to the opposite field, and you get a hitter who is completely locked into one direction. In other words, he's predictable — and beatable.

This is exactly what former Pirates utility man Josh Harrison was getting at with his blunt assessment pf Davis' offensive struggles on the "Bucco Territory" podcast.

“Thinking ‘pull’ is not your best friend," he said. "It’s actually your worst enemy.”

And he's right.

Davis looks like a hitter trying to do damage before he’s even made contact. The approach is geared toward yanking the ball with authority, but instead it’s producing weak contact on the ground — the easiest kind of out in baseball.

Pitchers see it, and they’re exploiting it. And until Davis proves he’ll use the whole field, there’s no reason for them to adjust. This is where the work has to happen — not in games, but in the cage.

Davis needs to focus on re-centering his approach, driving the ball the other way, and letting pitches travel. He needs to rebuild his timing so he’s reacting instead of guessing. These are foundational adjustments, not mechanical overhauls — but they require discipline, especially for a hitter who clearly wants to impact the baseball.

The power will come. It always does when the approach is right. We saw it in that Cincinnati Reds game when he launched two home runs. That version of Davis still exists. It’s just buried under a mindset that’s working against him.

The Pirates don’t even need Davis to be a star right now. They just need him to be functional. If Davis can get back to a more balanced, all-fields approach, the numbers will stabilize — and suddenly, a lineup with real upside gets a lot deeper.

Until then, the Pirates are winning in spite of him at the plate. And that's not a formula they can count on for long.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow