The Pittsburgh Pirates took catcher Henry Davis with the first pick of the 2021 MLB Draft.
When you select a player 1/1, he should make big-league impact fairly quickly. You should have a clear plan in place for his progress.
With Davis, the Pirates didn’t. If they did, it was a bad plan.
After playing mostly right field as a rookie last year, Davis figured to be the Pirates’ catcher this season in the absence of Endy Rodriguez, out for the year after elbow surgery.
But the Pirates signed journeyman catcher Yasmani Grandal. Grandal and Jason Delay look to be the big-league backstops. Davis likely will start the season in Class AAA.
Where Davis will presumably catch. But, given the Pirates’ bungling management, who knows?
Why isn’t Davis ready to catch? Maybe because he caught just two innings in MLB last year.
But Davis was a catcher for his entire collegiate career at Louisville. Do the Pirates deem him incapable of catching? Did they think that when they drafted him?
Davis hit .213 with sporadic power last season. Don’t the Pirates trust Davis’ bat, either? Why can’t he play right field again?
How can the status and future of a 1/1 be fraught with such uncertainty?
If the Pirates are mangling a 1/1, how are they doing with lesser prospects?
The Pirates mask their thrift by bleating about scouting, drafting and development.
That’s the siren song of those with low budgets. But the Pirates are terrible at all the above.
The Pirates took right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes with the first pick in last year’s draft.
Put Skenes in the big leagues immediately and let him pitch like he knows. His fastball tops 100 mph. Just let him throw it. Don’t let Skenes get ruined by the stink of the organization. That’s what’s happened to Davis.
