Henry Davis makes strong start at catcher, but Twins top Pirates in Grapefruit League opener

FORT MYERS, Fla. — With Henry Davis a candidate to make the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day roster as a catcher, manager Derek Shelton wasted no time to see what he could do.

After playing right field as a rookie, the 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick started at his natural position and made a solid first impression in Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Minnesota Twins.

“He’s in competition to make our club,” Shelton said, noting that veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal wasn’t going to make the 90-minute road trip from Bradenton. “Honestly, it was important to get (Davis) out and knock the rust off a little bit.”

Davis knocked around the ball a bit, too. He went 2 for 3 and scored a run while catching four pitchers in the first five innings of a 5-3 loss to the Twins at Hammond Field at Lee Health Sports Complex.

Henry Davis get a single in his first Grapefruit League AB vs Twins. pic.twitter.com/QxgaEkljao

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 24, 2024

More than anything, Davis is attempting to create some separation from Jason Delay and Ali Sanchez in a bid for the other catcher spot alongside Grandal. That started with building a rapport with left-hander Bailey Falter, who earned the first start of spring training.

“I was just trying to get on the same page and do what I need to do to be in the best position to succeed as fast as possible,” Davis said. “I’m trying to do that every bullpen and every outing.”

Falter allowed two runs on four hits with three strikeouts while throwing strikes on 24 of 33 pitches over two innings. He also was charged with a wild pitch on a glove-side pitch in the dirt.

“I thought we worked really well together,” Falter said. “He called some really good pitches. I think we may have gotten a little too four-seam happy — we probably could have mixed a couple two-seams in there — but the main thing is getting your feet wet and working on some stuff right now.”

Falter struck out three of the first five batters he faced before giving up back-to-back singles to Edouard Julien and Willi Castro in the second. Julien scored on a fielder’s choice by Plum alum Alex Kirilloff for a 1-0 Twins lead, and Austin Martin’s singled to left to score Castro.

The Pirates answered in the second, when Davis started a two-out rally by smacking Justin Topa’s sinker for a single clocked at an exit velocity of 103.8 mph. Davis advanced to second on Canaan Smith-Njigba’s single to left, and both scored when Edward Olivares hit a full-count sinker off Topa for a two-run triple to right-center to tie the score.

“It all starts with Henry, swinging 3-0 with confidence and hitting the ball hard,” Smith-Njigba said. “There’s not a lot of people who work harder than Henry. Obviously, Henry has a future and he embraces it. He goes out there and plays hard. His effort is always there. He wants to be the best, and we’re here to help him get there because he truly is a bad man. He really wants to win. I feel like he can help the Pirates win baseball games.”

Pirates top-10 prospect Jared Jones, who pitched to Davis at High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona, threw the third inning and noticed a difference in Davis behind the plate.

“I’ve always loved throwing to him,” Jones said. “He’s gotten a lot better. It’s nice to see that. Sticking with the low pitches. Early on in his career, he kind of let them drop to the floor. Now he’s sticking it and getting some calls.”

Pirates catcher Henry Davis on his play at and behind the plate in the Grapefruit League opener at the Minnesota Twins. pic.twitter.com/6Y3Wcw8U1J

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 24, 2024

Davis also got a break when he caught a Carlos Santana pop-up along the third-base line that appeared to be out of play but was carried by the wind back into foul territory. Davis said he didn’t see the ball well off the bat, but when third baseman Jared Triolo didn’t move, Davis took a few steps down the line and snared it.

“Oh, I couldn’t believe it came back,” Davis said, with a smile. “I saw it and thought it was way out, then I was like, ‘Oh, that’s coming back pretty fast,” so I just tried to catch it. … It would have been pretty embarrassing if it dropped, so I’m glad I caught it.”

The difference in the outcome came when Twins minor leaguer Dalton Shuffield drilled a three-run home run off Kyle Nicolas in the sixth for a 5-2 lead. Carter Bins, who replaced Davis at catcher, scored on a Matt Fraizer single to left as the Pirates cut it to 5-3 but Shuffield threw out Jack Brannigan at home plate to end the rally.

This was a day that belonged to Davis, who got off to a good start.

“I thought he did really well, mixed pitches really well,” Falter said. “He’s a really good game planner, for sure, and he takes everything very seriously. He’s in a really good spot right now. The guy is a monster. He’s here for a reason.”