Pirates insider thinks Henry Davis' PiratesFest snub foreshadows embarrassing fate

When the Pittsburgh Pirates took Henry Davis first overall back in 2021, many thought it was an incredibly savvy move. Davis was a very highly regarded catcher from a D-1 school and they were able to sign him for almost $2 million below slot, which enabled Pittsburgh to add a top talent AND make some overslot picks later in the draft. At the time, it looked like an ideal situation.

Unfortunately, picking Davis has not turned out nearly as well as many thought it would. His numbers in the minor leagues were fine, but in the 377 plate appearances in the big leagues he has made since debuting in 2023, Davis has slashed just .191/.283/.307 and accumulated a brutal -2.0 rWAR.

He still has time to figure things out, but those are not exactly the numbers you want from a franchise-level catcher. The thought was that his bat would translate fairly seamlessly; it hasn't.

Things have gone so badly for Davis with Pittsburgh that Pirates insider John Perrotto seems to think that Davis is already a lost cause, and the Pirates probably agree with him.

Pirates insider seems to think that Henry Davis is already out of the Pirates' plans

While not getting invited to PiratesFest shouldn't be read into too much for any player, it is hard not to think that Perrotto may have a point here. It is abundantly clear that the Pirates don't think Davis is remotely close to ready right now. With Joey Bart's emergence last year in Pittsburgh after a tough start to his career of his own with the Giants, there isn't much of an argument to take playing time away from him to give to Davis.

It is important to understand that, with every position on the field in consideration, acclimating to being a professional catcher might be the hardest one. In addition to having to figure out how to hit against professional pitchers, which is extremely difficult, young catchers also have to learn how to call games on their own, play a lot more games than they are used to at a position that is brutal on their bodies, and control the run game, which is being prioritized by MLB. Davis is just 25 years old and is immensely talented, so there is time for him to figure things out.

However, it doesn't feel like the Pirates will be the club that will give him many more chances. Between Bart seemingly saving his career and every signal the Pirates have given regarding how they feel about Davis, the safer bet seems to be that they could move on from him sooner rather than later.

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