PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The Pirates general manager says he understands the conversations. He understands the frustration. As Joe Starkey might say, he appreciates the inquiry. But there are no plans to call up Henry Davis from AA to help with a struggling major league offense.
The first overall pick in the 2021 draft is hitting .308/.452 on-base percentage with eight homers and 17 RBI in just 91 plate appearances at AA Altoona this year. The right-hander has hits in 12 of his last 13 games and when drafted was projected to be on a fast-track to the majors. Ben Cherington said he was once like you and would follow players working their way up.
“I can relate to it,” Cherington said during his radio show on the Pirates Radio Network and 93.7 The Fan. “I’m a fan first before ever having this job. Part of what was so much fun was following a team and what players are coming and anticipating a potential impact a young player could have and following their direction through the minor leagues. I totally get it.”
What he says as the man who makes those decisions for the Pirates is something different than he may have thought before or what many are thinking now. While he wouldn’t rule anything out, Davis has caught just 18 games this year. He has goals for Davis before he reaches the majors, mostly defensive, that he has yet to achieve. Cherington also said he has similar goals for Endy Rodriguez, the switch-hitting catcher who soared up the minor leagues to AAA last season as the organization’s player of the year.
Rodriguez was slowed this season with a forearm injury, he is currently hitting .244/.352 OBP with three home runs and 11 RBI in 90 at bats at AAA. It’s a pair of guys they don’t want to rush as a quick fix to offensive woes as Cherington said there are other options in the minors, not just Davis and Rodriguez.
“We know the potential impact it can have on the Pirates if we can develop not just one, but perhaps more than one offensive catcher, that’s an incredible impact,” Cherington said Sunday. “We want to give that the best chance to happen. We think both guys are accomplishing what they set out to accomplish would say that 18 games caught is not as much as we would like to see.”
What might be driving the conversation with Davis isn’t just his background, but the example of Jack Suwinski coming up from AA last year to hit 19 home runs in 106 games. The lefty outfielder had 2,073 plate appearances in professional baseball before coming up from Altoona. Davis has 401, Rodriguez has 1,338. Sure, Davis had many high-leverage at bats in college against solid competition in the ACC, but the Pirates are going to wait.
Even if you don’t want them to.