Over Ben Cherington’s six-year run as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, his club has picked first overall two times.
His most recent one, Paul Skenes, was a home run pick. Skenes, the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024, has already established himself as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, and leads a rotation that is near the top of any ranking. In one year, he’s become the face of the franchise, one that fans hope will finally bring winning baseball to the North Shore.
Cherington’s other first overall pick, Henry Davis, has not experienced the same luck. Drafted in 2021 for his batting prowess coming out of Louisville, Davis is now entering his fourth pro season, and does not have a guaranteed roster spot heading into spring training.
Davis is one shy of 100 major league games to his name, and his career stats to this point are abysmal for someone of his draft pedigree. His career slash line sits at .191/.283/.307, and for as bad as those figures are, they are largely bailed out by an only slightly subpar rookie campaign.
In 2023, Davis got his first MLB call up in June, and played in 62 games, slashing .213/.302/.351. A natural catcher, Davis’ only playing time (except for two total innings) came in right field, where he predictably struggled.
Davis was a -5 in Defensive Runs Saved and -6 Outs Above Average, according to Baseball Savant, and was worth -1.4WAR per Baseball Reference.
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