Baseball is officially back, baby!
The Pirates opened up spring training play in the Grapefruit League today, paying the Minnesota Twins a visit in Fort Myers, Florida.
For the Pirates, there were lots of interesting names to keep an eye on, including Canaan Smith-Njigba and Edward Olivares, who both started in Pittsburgh’s opening game.
But all eyes are on Henry Davis, and that theme continued today as Davis played behind the plate at catcher and batted third.
The first overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Pirates, Davis made his major league debut last season, in the early wave of a string of call-ups as the Pirates infused a lot of their youth and prospects into the lineup.
Davis’ rookie season with the Pirates was crowded with controversy, however. A catcher by nature, the Pirates simply refused to play him in his natural position. With Austin Hedges and Jason Delay occupying the catching spots, the Pirates put Davis in right field, and also tried him out as a designated hitter.
Davis would catch for only 2 innings all season long, late in blowout losses for Pittsburgh.
Even after Hedges was traded, the emergence of Endy Rodriguez and the continued presence of Delay still held Davis out of the position he was used to playing.
As expected, Davis had some gaffes in right field, but as the season progressed, he improved. At the plate, he had his moments, but overall had some struggles adjusting to major league pitching. He slashed .213/.302/.351, smacking in 7 homers and 24 RBI in 62 games.
He did finish the season on a little bit of a higher note though, batting .231 in the month of September. That came after he tore up Triple-A in a rehab assignment in preparing to return from injury.
Now, in potentially his first full season in the major leagues, Davis has a chance (if the Pirates give it to him) to claim a catching job with the team.
Endy Rodriguez has already been declared out for the year with injury, and with the signing of Yasmani Grandal, it’s between Davis, Delay, and free agent Ali Sanchez for the second spot.
In terms of batting, Davis did more than his job in his opening game of spring training. In his first at bat, Davis knocked a single into the outfield for a single.
He added a second hit in his second at bat as well, going 2-for-2 overall on the day.
Meanwhile, perhaps more of the focus of the day, Davis fared pretty well at the catcher’s spot.
“I was just trying to get on the same page and do what I need to do to be in the best position to succeed as fast as possible,” Davis said of his game today.
He got good reviews from his pitchers, including Bailey Falter and Jared Jones.
“He’s a really good game planner, for sure, and he takes everything very seriously,” Falter said after the game. “He’s in a really good spot right now. The guy is a monster. He’s here for a reason.”
Jones offered some similar praise.
“I’ve always loved throwing to him,” he said. “He’s gotten a lot better. It’s nice to see that. Sticking with the low pitches. Early on in his career, he kind of let them drop to the floor. Now he’s sticking it and getting some calls.”
Despite being only 24 years old and having just 62 games under his major league career, 2024 is an immensely important year for Davis, one that could eventually define his trajectory.
Sure, maybe it’s just one Grapefruit League game, but it’s an encouraging sign for Davis as the 2024 season ramps up.
(Featured photo via Getty Images)
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