Henry Davis' latest swing fix deserves more skepticism than optimism

Henry Davis finally gave the Pittsburgh Pirates exactly what they needed Sunday afternoon. But that doesn’t mean they should assume he has finally figured anything out.

Davis supplied the only run in Pittsburgh’s 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels with his ninth home run of the season, then nearly added extra bases later when Wade Meckler tracked down his deep drive along the right-field line.

It was unquestionably encouraging for a player searching for anything resembling offensive momentum. But encouraging and convincing are two very different things.

Davis explained that he has been working on activating his back leg earlier in his swing, believing his right-knee-down catching stance has fatigued the leg he needs to load properly as a hitter. He also discussed with manager Don Kelly why his swing has sometimes looked freer when entering games unexpectedly rather than starting them.

It's an intriguing theory. Maybe there is something there. The Pirates, though, need much more than a theory at this point.

Davis entered this stretch hitting .169/.266/.304 on the season, and his struggles aren't confined to one disappointing year. The former No. 1 overall pick owns a .177 career batting average and .560 OPS in the majors. That's a large enough sample of offensive futility that one home run, one loud out and yet another swing adjustment deserve considerably more skepticism than optimism.

Pirates must demand evidence of offensive improvement from Henry Davis instead of continuing to bank on his draft pedigree

This isn't the first time Davis has searched for a mechanical answer at the plate. That's simply part of hitting in the majors, especially for a player who has spent multiple seasons trying to turn elite draft pedigree into major-league production. The important question is whether this adjustment actually produces results for more than a handful of at-bats.

Davis has at least given Pittsburgh something substantial on the other side of the ball. His eight defensive runs saved rank eighth among catchers, while his 40% caught-stealing rate ranks second, aided by an 85.8 mph arm strength. He has done more than enough to quiet the questions surrounding his defensive ability, but defense alone shouldn't make Davis' offensive shortcomings an afterthought.

At some point, the Pirates have to determine whether Davis is their long-term starting catcher or merely a strong defensive catcher whose bat places a hard ceiling on his value. For a club supposedly trying to build a legitimate contender, that's an important distinction.

Maybe the back-leg adjustment becomes the breakthrough Davis has spent years searching for. The Pirates will certainly give him the opportunity to prove it, as they have countless times before. But after a career .560 OPS, the burden of proof has changed. Davis needs to show that the hitter the Pirates have been waiting for actually exists.

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