Who is Henry Davis? Scouting report, stats, more to know as Pirates call up 2021 first overall pick

The Pirates find themselves in the middle of a heated race for the NL Central. And they're bringing some help up to the upper deck of the ship.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey reported Sunday that the team intends to call up catcher Henry Davis, the first overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of a series starting Monday against the Cubs. The Pirates appeared to confirm the report by tweeting a photo of Davis.

👀 pic.twitter.com/X7RKcEORLx

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 18, 2023

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Pittsburgh had been on top of the NL Central prior to a series against the Brewers but dropped the first two games of the series to fall to third place in the division, 1.5 games back of Milwaukee and a game back of the second-place Reds.

The Pirates entered play Sunday ranked 18th in the majors with a team 98 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus), but they've ranked 27th in wRC+ at catcher (61).

Austin Hedges has handled primary catching duties this season and has posted a measly 29 wRC+ on a .175/.231/.242 slash line with a home run in 42 games. Jason Delay has provided a bit of a spark, slashing .304/.371/.418 with a 118 wRC+ in 33 games, though a .411 BABIP and .231 xBA hint at regression.

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Here's everything you need to know about Davis as he prepares to make his MLB debut.

Henry Davis scouting report

Make no mistake: Davis is coming up because of his bat. He has received his highest marks for the way he swings the lumber, with MLB Pipeline grading him as having an above-average hit tool and plus power with grades of 55 and 60, respectively, on the 20-to-80 scouting scale.

The former Louisville star has always shown impressive plate discipline to accompany his pop and contact ability. There have been some concerns over how much he crowds the plate, which has led to gaudy hit by pitch numbers (20 in 2022, eight in 2023) and injury concerns.

Davis is no guarantee to stay behind the plate long term. Though he has a strong arm, he's not the most agile behind the plate and has work to do improving his footwork and framing, according to Baseball America. In 2022, he began to gain experience in the outfield, which would help the Pirates get him in the lineup more regularly while still putting his immense arm strength to use.

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Henry Davis stats

Davis was a surprising first overall pick in 2021. Vanderbilt's Jack Leiter was arguably the biggest name in the draft, and Marcelo Mayer and Jordan Lawlar offered one of the best pairings of high-upside prep shortstops in recent years.

That's not to take anything away from Davis, who was coming off a prolific season at the plate in college, particularly for a catcher. He posted a slash line of .370/.482/.663 with 15 home runs and 31 walks to just 24 strikeouts in his junior season at Louisville. 

It has been much of the same in the minors. In his first full season of professional baseball, he launched 10 home runs in only 59 games and walked 21 times to 51 strikeouts. He has been on an even more torrid pace in 2023, with 11 homers in 51 games and a 40:46 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

Here's a look at his stats since reaching the minors:

Pirates prospect rankings

The Pirates are reaching the end of a rebuild and could soon be making several other impactful promotions to the big leagues beyond Davis.

Davis is the organization's second-ranked catching prospect behind Endy Rodriguez, who is No. 1 overall in the system per Baseball America and No. 2 by MLB Pipeline. Rodriguez has more defensive versatility, having logged time at second base and in the outfield as well as behind the plate. He has developed nearly as much power as Davis and has shown impressive plate discipline throughout the minors. He and Davis could give Pittsburgh an enviable duo of backstops in the big leagues.

Termarr Johnson, last year's fourth overall pick, still has a ways to develop before he will be ready to reach the majors. He ranks first on MLB Pipeline's list and third on Baseball America's to complete Pittsburgh's top trio of prospects.

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The Pirates have several other prospects at Triple-A that could soon be on the verge of joining the big league club. Pitchers Quinn Priester and Jared Jones have pitched well in 2023, and second baseman Nick Gonzales, the 2020 seventh overall pick, has steadily risen up the ranks.

Of course, the finishing touches on this strong farm system will be the player selected first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. Most expect that selection to be LSU outfielder Dylan Crews or LSU right-hander Paul Skenes. Given the advancement of both players already, it would not be surprising to see that pick reach the big leagues as early as 2024.