Henry Davis

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #3 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Injuries have beset Davis' professional development since the Pirates made him the No. 1 pick in a 2021 draft that lacked an obvious top prospect. Pittsburgh signed him to a $6.5 million bonus that was $2 million under slot value. Davis appeared in just eight games in 2021 before an oblique injury ended his season. A pair of left wrist injuries limited him to just 53 non-rehab games in 2022 between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona.
  
  Scouting Report: Even in a limited sample size, Davis has reaffirmed the hitting traits that made him the top college bat in his class. He packs considerable strength into his brawny 6-foot-2 frame, and it translates to easy plus power. Davis' barrel control and flat bat path allow him to hit all types of pitch shapes. He cuts an unorthodox presence in the batter's box. Davis sinks into a wide stance, lifting the bat just above his shoulder, sans batting gloves, and then bends forward at the waist, unwilling to cede any ground on the inside part of the plate. Therein lies the problem. Davis, an intense competitor convicted in his approach, was hit by nearly as many pitches (20) as he had extra-base hits (23) in 2022. The Pirates have tried to convince Davis to move off the plate to maintain his health and development. Davis' catching lags behind his bat. He's a stiff mover who needs to continue to clean up his footwork and pitch framing. Davis' arm strength is his calling card, but evaluators note he has struggled with inaccuracy so far as a professional. Some wonder whether a corner outfield position may be a better long-term fit considering his throwing arm, though he's only a fringe-average runner.
  
  The Future: Davis needs to stay on the field. His ceiling remains that of a middle-of-the-order hitter, though his defensive position remains a question mark.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 60. Speed: 45. Fielding: 40. Arm: 60
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #2 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Davis played his way up draft boards as Louisville’s starting catcher in 2021 and emerged as the clear-cut top collegiate hitter in a class bereft of a true top prospect. The Pirates coveted his profile and drafted him No. 1 overall, signing him for a below-slot $6.5 million. The Pirates sent Davis to High-A Greensboro after a brief tune-up in the Florida Complex League, and he hit a pair of homers in six games before an oblique injury ended his season in late August.
  
  Scouting Report: The Pirates believe Davis’ swing is tailored to combat modern pitching, even if it looks a bit unorthodox. He greets pitchers with an open, crouched stance, cocks his hands back during his load, then attacks with an ample leg kick and a stride that looks like he’s closing back up as he steps toward the pitcher. Davis worked diligently at Louisville to flatten his bat path, and the Pirates were drawn to his ability to handle both fastballs and breaking balls from various arm angles. Davis is built like a fullback and punishes mistakes with his natural strength and mature strike-zone recognition. Scouts have adored Davis’ plus-plus arm dating back to high school, but he has faced longstanding concerns about his blocking and receiving. He’s athletic enough to handle catching, and some of his defensive concerns could be allayed by the introduction of an automatic ball-strike system.
  
  The Future: Davis’ advanced offensive ability and the Pirates’ logjam of catchers at the lower levels could lead to an aggressive assignment in 2022. He projects to be the organization’s catcher of the future and has all-star potential on account of his bat.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #4 prospect in 2021 draft
  Davis ranked as the No. 306 prospect in the 2018 class out of Fox Lane High in Bedford, N.Y., but at the time he was seen as a defensive-first catcher with work to do offensively. His loudest tool was by far his arm, with some scouts grading it as a 70 at the time and comparing it to the best throwing arms in the majors while he was still in high school. That remains the case for Davis, whose arm strength is elite and at least a 70-grade tool now, but his offensive development and performance this spring have pushed him up draft boards to the point where most teams consider him the best college bat in the 2021 class. A 6-foot-2, 210-pound backstop, Davis entered Louisville with a swing that was described as too steep, lengthy and stiff. He’s improved that significantly over three seasons, though his swing is still a bit unorthodox. Davis sets up with a crouched and open stance, with his hands at shoulder length before cocking back in his load and striding to an even or closed setup with his feet. It’s a strength-based swing more than a twitchy, fluid, bat speed operation, but Davis combines standout zone recognition, pure bat-to-ball skills and plus power to his pull side to make everything work. Davis has walked more than he’s struck out in his Louisville career, with 31 walks to 23 strikeouts through 49 games in 2021 and was flirting with .400 for a decent stretch of the season while also tapping into a career-high 14 homers. Most of that power goes to the pull side, and Davis’ approach in general has been to his pull side. He’s produced against every pitch type this spring, with an OPS over 1.000 against fastballs, breaking balls and offspeed offerings, though he has shown more swing and miss against changeups than other pitch types. Scouts are split on whether or not Davis will catch at the next level. He has the arm strength and athleticism—he’s a good runner for a catcher—but needs to work on his blocking and receiving.
• Ranked #306 prospect in 2018 draft
  A 6-foot-1, 205-pound catcher out of New York, Davis has one of the strongest arms in the entire 2018 draft class, with some scouts going as far as saying it currently stacks up with some of the harder-throwing backstops in the majors. The arm is Davis' loudest tool, with 70-grade arm strength and a plus arm action on his throws as well. It's less hyperbole than most players when saying Davis has a cannon. He's a defensive-first backstop however, and could make it to campus at Louisville because of that, though he has added 10-15 pounds of muscle over the offseason and homered this spring against some of the top pitchers in his area. Offensively, he has fringe-average bat speed and below-average power, though that seems to be trending in the right direction, with a bat path that can get a bit long at times.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #73 prospect in 2023
• Ranked Baseball America's #41 prospect in 2022

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Injuries have beset Davis' professional development since the Pirates made him the No. 1 pick in a 2021 draft that lacked an obvious top prospect. Pittsburgh signed him to a $6.5 million bonus that was $2 million under slot value. Davis appeared in just eight games in 2021 before an oblique injury ended his season. A pair of left wrist injuries limited him to just 53 non-rehab games in 2022 between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona.
  
  Scouting Report: Even in a limited sample size, Davis has reaffirmed the hitting traits that made him the top college bat in his class. He packs considerable strength into his brawny 6-foot-2 frame, and it translates to easy plus power. Davis' barrel control and flat bat path allow him to hit all types of pitch shapes. He cuts an unorthodox presence in the batter's box. Davis sinks into a wide stance, lifting the bat just above his shoulder, sans batting gloves, and then bends forward at the waist, unwilling to cede any ground on the inside part of the plate. Therein lies the problem. Davis, an intense competitor convicted in his approach, was hit by nearly as many pitches (20) as he had extra-base hits (23) in 2022. The Pirates have tried to convince Davis to move off the plate to maintain his health and development. Davis' catching lags behind his bat. He's a stiff mover who needs to continue to clean up his footwork and pitch framing. Davis' arm strength is his calling card, but evaluators note he has struggled with inaccuracy so far as a professional. Some wonder whether a corner outfield position may be a better long-term fit considering his throwing arm, though he's only a fringe-average runner.
  
  The Future: Davis needs to stay on the field. His ceiling remains that of a middle-of-the-order hitter, though his defensive position remains a question mark.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 60. Speed: 45. Fielding: 40. Arm: 60
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Injuries have beset Davis' professional development since the Pirates made him the No. 1 pick in a 2021 draft that lacked an obvious top prospect. Pittsburgh signed him to a $6.5 million bonus that was $2 million under slot value. Davis appeared in just eight games in 2021 before an oblique injury ended his season. A pair of left wrist injuries limited him to just 53 non-rehab games in 2022 between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona.
  
  Scouting Report: Even in a limited sample size, Davis has reaffirmed the hitting traits that made him the top college bat in his class. He packs considerable strength into his brawny 6-foot-2 frame, and it translates to easy plus power. Davis' barrel control and flat bat path allow him to hit all types of pitch shapes. He cuts an unorthodox presence in the batter's box. Davis sinks into a wide stance, lifting the bat just above his shoulder, sans batting gloves, and then bends forward at the waist, unwilling to cede any ground on the inside part of the plate. Therein lies the problem. Davis, an intense competitor convicted in his approach, was hit by nearly as many pitches (20) as he had extra-base hits (23) in 2022. The Pirates have tried to convince Davis to move off the plate to maintain his health and development. Davis' catching lags behind his bat. He's a stiff mover who needs to continue to clean up his footwork and pitch framing. Davis' arm strength is his calling card, but evaluators note he has struggled with inaccuracy so far as a professional. Some wonder whether a corner outfield position may be a better long-term fit considering his throwing arm, though he's only a fringe-average runner.
  
  The Future: Davis needs to stay on the field. His ceiling remains that of a middle-of-the-order hitter, though his defensive position remains a question mark.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 60. Speed: 45. Fielding: 40. Arm: 60
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 60/High
  
  Track Record: Davis played his way up draft boards in 2021, emerging as the clear-cut top collegiate bat in a class bereft of a true top prospect. Pittsburgh coveted both his profile and the circumstances, drafting Davis No. 1 overall and signing him to a deal $2 million below slot. The deal gave Pittsburgh financial flexibility to draft three talented high schoolers, landing four of the draft&#39s 32 best prospects. The Pirates sent Davis to High-A Greensboro after a brief tune-up in rookie ball and he hit a pair of homers through six games before an oblique injury ended his season in late August.
  
  Scouting Report: Pittsburgh believes Davis&#39 swing is tailored to combat modern pitching, even if it looks a bit unorthodox. He greets pitchers with an open, crouched stance, cocks his hands back during his load, then attacks with an ample leg kick and a stride that looks like he&#39s closing back up as he steps toward pitchers. Davis worked diligently at Louisville to flatten his bat path, and the Pirates were drawn to his ability to handle both fastballs and breaking balls from various arm angles. Davis is built like a fullback and punishes mistakes thanks to natural strength and mature strike-zone recognition. Scouts have adored his elite throwing arm dating back to high school while also harboring longstanding concerns about his blocking and receiving skills at catcher. Pro scouts didn&#39t get much time to evaluate Davis this year, but he&#39s athletic enough to handle catching and some of the defensive concerns could soon be allayed by the introduction of automatic balls and strikes.
  
  The Future: Davis&#39 advanced offensive ability combined with Pittsburgh&#39s logjam of catchers at the lower levels could lead to an aggressive assignment in 2022, his first full pro season.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 60. Power: 55. Speed: 45. Fielding: 45. Arm: 70.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Davis played his way up draft boards as Louisville’s starting catcher in 2021 and emerged as the clear-cut top collegiate hitter in a class bereft of a true top prospect. The Pirates coveted his profile and drafted him No. 1 overall, signing him for a below-slot $6.5 million. The Pirates sent Davis to High-A Greensboro after a brief tune-up in the Florida Complex League, and he hit a pair of homers in six games before an oblique injury ended his season in late August.
  
  Scouting Report: The Pirates believe Davis’ swing is tailored to combat modern pitching, even if it looks a bit unorthodox. He greets pitchers with an open, crouched stance, cocks his hands back during his load, then attacks with an ample leg kick and a stride that looks like he’s closing back up as he steps toward the pitcher. Davis worked diligently at Louisville to flatten his bat path, and the Pirates were drawn to his ability to handle both fastballs and breaking balls from various arm angles. Davis is built like a fullback and punishes mistakes with his natural strength and mature strike-zone recognition. Scouts have adored Davis’ plus-plus arm dating back to high school, but he has faced longstanding concerns about his blocking and receiving. He’s athletic enough to handle catching, and some of his defensive concerns could be allayed by the introduction of an automatic ball-strike system.
  
  The Future: Davis’ advanced offensive ability and the Pirates’ logjam of catchers at the lower levels could lead to an aggressive assignment in 2022. He projects to be the organization’s catcher of the future and has all-star potential on account of his bat.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Davis ranked as the No. 306 prospect in the 2018 class out of Fox Lane High in Bedford, N.Y., but at the time he was seen as a defensive-first catcher with work to do offensively. His loudest tool was by far his arm, with some scouts grading it as a 70 at the time and comparing it to the best throwing arms in the majors while he was still in high school. That remains the case for Davis, whose arm strength is elite and at least a 70-grade tool now, but his offensive development and performance this spring have pushed him up draft boards to the point where most teams consider him the best college bat in the 2021 class. A 6-foot-2, 210-pound backstop, Davis entered Louisville with a swing that was described as too steep, lengthy and stiff. He's improved that significantly over three seasons, though his swing is still a bit unorthodox. Davis sets up with a crouched and open stance, with his hands at shoulder length before cocking back in his load and striding to an even or closed setup with his feet. It's a strength-based swing more than a twitchy, fluid, bat speed operation, but Davis combines standout zone recognition, pure bat-to-ball skills and plus power to his pull side to make everything work. Davis has walked more than he's struck out in his Louisville career, with 31 walks to 23 strikeouts through 49 games in 2021 and was flirting with .400 for a decent stretch of the season while also tapping into a career-high 14 homers. Most of that power goes to the pull side, and Davis' approach in general has been to his pull side. He's produced against every pitch type this spring, with an OPS over 1.000 against fastballs, breaking balls and offspeed offerings, though he has shown more swing and miss against changeups than other pitch types. Scouts are split on whether or not Davis will catch at the next level. He has the arm strength and athleticism—he's a good runner for a catcher—but needs to work on his blocking and receiving.