The Dodgers had a roving catching coach in Will Smith's MILB career. He was cultivated.
Davis did not have this approach and, IMHO, was rushed to the batter's box in the majors. Catcher, DH, RF, chaos.Also in a draft year that produced no real stars in the top ten cursed Davis with the 1/1 label. At this point I would suspect that even Davis doesn't want to have a bat in his hands. Your head has to be right to play this sport.
The Pirates did have a roving catching coach starting in 2022. John Baker, who was a former catcher himself, hired Chad Noble for the position ahead of the first season for Davis.
I disagree that Davis was rushed to the Majors from a hitting standpoint. I don't think he learns anything by remaining in the minors for a longer period of time, where he can overpower minor league pitchers. If Davis was rushed, then what does that say about Konnor Griffin? Nick Kurtz? The bigger problem with Davis is that he hasn't adjusted his approach since reaching the majors, and arguably has gotten more extreme with his aggressive approach at the plate.
I don't think the draft results outside of Davis are relevant to his individual performance. What's interesting is the 2020-2022 drafts had horrible results inside the top ten overall picks. Really, the entire first round is weak when you consider Kurtz (2024) has a higher WAR than any 2021 first rounder, and Skenes (2023) has twice the WAR of anyone in that group. It makes you wonder how much the pandemic impacted the scouting process. Or, if the development process has changed to allow for a quicker path to the Majors more often. Neither of these are an excuse for Davis. One is an excuse for the scouting department, and the other is a possible evolution in development.
It will be interesting to see what they do when Bart is ready. Could spell the end for Ozuna. Davis has no options and I can't see them waiving him. They might carry three catchers.
If you look at his career transactions, he was added to the 40-man roster in the summer of 2023, then missed the rest of the season with a hand injury. He was optioned in 2024, using his first option year. He was optioned early in 2025, but spent less than 20 days total on optional assignment that season.
If he were out of options today, he would have needed to use an option in 2023, 2024, and 2025. He wasn't optioned in 2023 after being added to the 40-man, and he spent less than 20 days on optional assignment in 2025.
It's not that Davis can benefit from being sent to the minors it is that the Pirates can benefit from him being there.
The Dodgers had a roving catching coach in Will Smith's MILB career. He was cultivated.
Davis did not have this approach and, IMHO, was rushed to the batter's box in the majors. Catcher, DH, RF, chaos.Also in a draft year that produced no real stars in the top ten cursed Davis with the 1/1 label. At this point I would suspect that even Davis doesn't want to have a bat in his hands. Your head has to be right to play this sport.
The Pirates did have a roving catching coach starting in 2022. John Baker, who was a former catcher himself, hired Chad Noble for the position ahead of the first season for Davis.
I disagree that Davis was rushed to the Majors from a hitting standpoint. I don't think he learns anything by remaining in the minors for a longer period of time, where he can overpower minor league pitchers. If Davis was rushed, then what does that say about Konnor Griffin? Nick Kurtz? The bigger problem with Davis is that he hasn't adjusted his approach since reaching the majors, and arguably has gotten more extreme with his aggressive approach at the plate.
I don't think the draft results outside of Davis are relevant to his individual performance. What's interesting is the 2020-2022 drafts had horrible results inside the top ten overall picks. Really, the entire first round is weak when you consider Kurtz (2024) has a higher WAR than any 2021 first rounder, and Skenes (2023) has twice the WAR of anyone in that group. It makes you wonder how much the pandemic impacted the scouting process. Or, if the development process has changed to allow for a quicker path to the Majors more often. Neither of these are an excuse for Davis. One is an excuse for the scouting department, and the other is a possible evolution in development.
It will be interesting to see what they do when Bart is ready. Could spell the end for Ozuna. Davis has no options and I can't see them waiving him. They might carry three catchers.
Davis has two options remaining.
I will defer to you. I had read that he is out of options.
You can always go to his Pirates Prospects player page to verify. :)
https://piratesprospects.com/players/680779-henry-davis/
If you look at his career transactions, he was added to the 40-man roster in the summer of 2023, then missed the rest of the season with a hand injury. He was optioned in 2024, using his first option year. He was optioned early in 2025, but spent less than 20 days total on optional assignment that season.
If he were out of options today, he would have needed to use an option in 2023, 2024, and 2025. He wasn't optioned in 2023 after being added to the 40-man, and he spent less than 20 days on optional assignment in 2025.
They can option him this year.
I stand corrected about Noble. However, I would have chosen a more seasoned individual to mentor a 1/1.
Every hitter is different as to when they get to the bigs. It usually involves the eye test.