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Pittsburgh Pirates: The Best Possible Second Half Line-Up

What would be the best possible line-up the Pirates could put together?

ByNoah Wright|
July 4, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo (19) and
July 4, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo (19) and | Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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Right Field - Henry Davis

Henry Davis has been a joy to watch this year. Not only has he hit well since his arrival, but he's been an extremely fun hype man this team desperately needed during one of its lowest points. The former first-overall pick looks as good as advertised through his first handful of games.

Davis has 15 hits, including two doubles and a home run, through his first 60 plate appearances. This also includes four walks and 17 strikeouts. Davis has yet to hit for as much power as you'd expect for a guy who was considered the best power hitter of his draft class, but it's a small sample size to start with, and Davis showed plenty of power throughout the minor leagues.

Before his Major League promotion, Davis was batting .284/.433/.541 with a .434 wOBA and 162 wRC+ between Altoona and Indianapolis. Davis had an impressive .257 isolated slugging percentage while hitting 11 home runs in less than 250 plate appearances (232, to be exact). Davis' 19.8% strikeout rate was pretty solid, but he counter-balanced that with a great 17.2% walk rate.

Davis is primarily a catcher but hasn't yet squatted down behind the plate as a Major Leaguer. With Endy on the horizon, it's likely Davis will only serve as a backup once Rodriguez arrives. Regardless of how you feel about how the Pirates have utilized Davis in the field so far, he's shown some decent prowess in right field. He's also displayed a cannon of an arm, consistently uncorking 90+ MPH throws. He's also been surprisingly fast. While Davis wasn't considered a slouch when it came to running, he is currently in the 75th percentile of sprint speed, faster than guys who are considered speedy players like Tyler O'Neill, Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Ozzie Albies.

Davis looks like he could be yet another long-term fixture in the Pirates' line-up. It will be extremely fun to see what he can do in the second half of the year. He very well could be one of the best second-half rookies for the 2023 campaign.

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