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As the Pittsburgh Pirates get set to begin Grapefruit League action this weekend, some players will be under the microscope more than others.
MLB.com beat writers recently identified one player from each team who has the most to prove as spring training gets underway, and Alex Stumpf from the Pirates beat called out former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis.
"Joey Bart had a solid 2024, Endy Rodríguez is back from elbow surgery and Jason Delay is a more than capable glove-first catcher," Stumpf wrote. "That leaves Davis in a tough spot if he doesn’t produce in 2025. He’s shown he can crush Minor League pitching, but struggled mightily at the plate in 2024 (a .453 OPS in 122 trips to the plate). Earning a job out of camp would help put that year behind him."
In reality, however, Davis' struggles have spanned more than a single season. And the emergence of other catchers in the Pirates organization has turned up the heat on him in a big way.
Pirates' Henry Davis hit with added pressure after MLB list, improving catchers
The Pirates selected Davis, a right-handed hitting catcher out of the University of Louisville, with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He first arrived in the big leagues in 2023 but has struggled to find his footing for a variety of reasons, including injuries.
Davis has appeared in 99 Major League games over the past two seasons, slashing .191/.283/.307 with eight home runs and 29 RBI. He has had far more success at the plate in his 181 games in the minor leagues, where he has posted a .290/.409/.535 slash line with 38 home runs and 124 RBI.
During that time, Bart has emerged as the Pirates' clear No. 1 catcher after a breakout 2024 season that saw him slash .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI while establishing strong relationships with Pittsburgh's pitching staff.
Rodríguez missed most of last season recovering from elbow surgery, but he is back in the fold at spring training and feeling better than ever. Delay broke camp with the Pirates in 2024 after a spring training injury to Yasmani Grandal and is a solid depth option at the position in the event of a similar occurrence in 2025.
Endy Rodriguez, who is over a year removed from Tommy John surgery, gets some work in throwing down to second base pic.twitter.com/KmvmwuIQCg
— Andrew Destin (@AndrewDestin1) February 14, 2025
The path to the Pirates' 2025 Major League roster won't be an easy one for Davis. In order to stand out in a crowded field of backstops, he will need to prove during spring training that he is the player they thought they were drafting four years ago.
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