Henry Davis

After being selected first overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, Davis was limited to only 59 games in 2022 by a wrist injury. That appeared to set back his timeline to reach the majors, though he ripped through work at Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis to reach Pittsburgh by mid-June of 2023. Davis' opening sample in the majors wasn't all that inspiring, as he managed only a .653 OPS, .287 wOBA and 76 wRC+. That was driven primarily by a strikeout rate that spiked to 27 percent after sitting consistently in the high teens and low 20s throughout his minor-league stints. Considering he also played through a right hand injury, there were some positive underlying signs from his time in the majors despite the poor surface stats, highlighted by a 7.0 percent barrel rate and 88.6 average exit velocity - both of which were almost exactly league-average. In addition to proving he can stay healthy, the biggest question for Davis is where he'll play defensively. After playing primarily behind the plate in the minors, upon reaching the majors, he started exclusively in right field or at DH. He'll enter the 2024 season without catcher eligibility as a result, though general manager Ben Cherington stated early in the offseason that the team still views him as an option behind the dish. If he gets enough playing time to regain eligibility, he'll instantly be back on fantasy radars, but he's far less appealing as an outfielder and potentially first baseman.

Injuries to his left wrist limited Davis to about half a season with multiple lengthy absences across stops at Single-A, High-A and Double-A. Endy Rodriguez has jumped Davis on the organizational depth chart at catcher, but there should still be enough playing time to go around while mixing in designated hitter and possibly right field if Davis can stay healthy and reach his potential as a hitter. He is built like a lumberjack and uses brute strength as much as bat speed to create plus game power from the right side. Davis hit .266/.384/.472 with a 20.2 K% on the year, and given the injuries, it's fair to grade those strong numbers on a bit of a curve. Defensively, his plus arm would allow him to stick behind the plate with robo umps, but he might spend most of his time at DH while the human element remains. The Pirates selected Davis with the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, so he will be given every possible chance to reach his ceiling as a middle-of-the-order run producer.

While Davis was the first-overall pick in the 2021 draft, it was a money-saving pick by Pittsburgh -- four players in the top six received larger signing bonuses. Even so, Davis was clearly the best college hitter in the class, which should carry a lot of weight in first-year player drafts. He hit .370/.482/.663 with 15 home runs and a 24:31 K:BB in 228 plate appearances as a junior at Louisville. Over the shortened 2020 season and his junior campaign, Davis logged a 10 percent strikeout rate and 13.9 percent walk rate, which is elite, especially for a power-hitting catcher. He didn't hit for much power as a freshman, which is the one knock on his college resume. His right-handed swing isn't prototypical, but his combination of elite strength and pitch recognition allows everything to work. An oblique injury limited him to 31 plate appearances between complex ball and High-A, but his exit velocities backed up his .808 SLG in that short run. He has an absolute hose behind the plate, but the rest of his defense could use some work. However, if we get robo umps in a few years, Davis has a chance to be excellent in every relevant aspect of his game.