'He's a 1st-rounder for a reason': Top pick Henry Davis makes strong impression on Pirates

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Henry Davis in a locker in the middle of their clubhouse at LECOM Park, yet the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft was hardly the center of attention.

A nonroster invitee, the former University of Louisville catcher knew his time with the Pirates would be short and sweet and wanted to soak up every second of his first major-league spring training. So Davis was too busy following a rigid routine to spend much time sitting still at his stall.

Davis has every intention of taking the fast track to the majors.

“I’m confident in my ability, but I understand that’s not my call,” said Davis, who signed an under-slot bonus for $6.5 million last July. “I’m not the one calling myself up, so until that moment comes I’m just going to play the best I can wherever I am and help whatever team I’m on win. Whenever I get the call to Pittsburgh, I’ll help them win, too.”

Davis was reassigned to the minor-league camp Tuesday when the club made its first round of roster moves. The 18 cuts included the Pirates’ past four first-round picks: Outfielder Travis Swaggerty (2018) was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis while dealing with left shoulder soreness, and right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester (2019) and second baseman Nick Gonzales (2020) will join Davis at Pirate City.

Davis went 0 for 2 in two Grapefruit League games for the Pirates, flying out to left field and grounding out to third against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound backstop caught the eye of Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who noticed “a lot of positive things” about his strength, leadership and ability to hit the ball hard.

“When you have a kid who’s in camp and is an NRI, it’s a short look,” Shelton said. “It was a short, impressive look.”

The Spring Training backfields are where it’s at.

Here’s Kenley Jansen’s first Braves outing against… last year’s number one overall pick Henry Davis.

Kenley blew one by him but then hit him with the next pitch. pic.twitter.com/v0qMGrroCX

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) March 23, 2022

BUT THE NEXT AT BAT…

My dude @henrydavis32 hit himself a big old ding dong pic.twitter.com/BolgDitslw

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) March 23, 2022

After the Pirates drafted Davis last July, they traded National League Gold Glove winner Jacob Stallings and signed two-time American League Gold Glove winner Roberto Perez to a one-year, $5 million free-agent deal in the offseason to give Davis a grace period to develop in the minors. Perez saw the strong build, good hands and talent both behind the plate and in the batter’s box, but what Puerto Rico native was most impressed with about Davis is that he’s learning to speak Spanish to better communicate with Latin prospects.

“He’s a first-rounder for a reason,” Perez said. “He’s always on time, always trying to get better. He asks good questions. He seems like a good guy. The main thing for him as a young player is he’s got to get know himself. You know how it is when you’re young: You try to impress other people and try to do too much. I think if he can control that at an early stage, he’s going to be fine.”

That doesn’t appear to be a problem. Davis is the no-nonsense type, wearing a buzzcut and bringing a single-minded focus on winning while sticking to his schedule. He calls Buster Posey and Yadier Molina his favorite catchers, not because of their MVPs or Gold Gloves but rather their team accomplishments.

“What stands out to me more than their personal achievements is the fact that they were on winning teams,” Davis said. “I think as a catcher the most important thing is helping your team win the World Series, so I aspire to be like both of them in that sense. …

“That’s why you play. We’re coming to win.”

The Pirates haven’t reached the postseason since 2015 and haven’t won a World Series since 1979 but hope to make Davis the centerpiece of a slow rebuild back into a contender. They earned the top pick after finishing with baseball’s worst record in 2020, then lost 101 games in 2021, a downward trend Davis hopes to discontinue.

Despite playing only eight games last summer before being shut down in late August with a right oblique strain, Davis has drawn acclaim. MLB Pipeline ranks him the Pirates’ top prospect and No. 24 overall, whereas Baseball America ranks Davis No. 2 on the Pirates and No. 41 overall. After going 3 for 7 with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs in two games in the Florida Coast League, Davis was promoted to Greensboro and slashed .263/.375/.684 with a triple, two homers and three RBIs in six games before the injury ended his season.

The Pirates have been intentional about the development of their top prospects, bringing them along together in the minors. Davis could start the season at Double-A Altoona, playing alongside fellow top-10 prospects in Gonzales and shortstop Liover Peguero and right-handers Priester, Mike Burrows and Carmen Mlodzinski. They led Greensboro to the High-A East championship series last summer, which Davis believes is the start of a seismic shift in the Pirates’ fortunes.

“It’s a special group, from the staff to the players to everyone around us,” Davis said. “It’s just a winning group, a winning culture. The Pirates are doing things the right way, and I’m glad to be part of it. I’m just trying to find ways to be a better baseball player, be a better teammate and help the Pirates win. I want to lead by example, try to do the right thing every day and, hopefully, that resonates.”