Pirates focus on development of Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez as catchers despite big bats

With two of their top three prospects playing the same position, the Pittsburgh Pirates separated catchers Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis so both could play behind the plate on an everyday basis.

The Pirates sent Rodriguez to Triple-A Indianapolis and Davis to Double-A Altoona in an effort to accelerate their development, knowing both are considered invaluable pieces of their future.

“We started the season believing that they both really needed to play a lot,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “It’s not that they could never be on the same team. At some point, of course, that can happen. But for the start of the season, we wanted them both to have the primary catcher role. Playing time is part of that, but it’s also just a role on the team.

“There is something to being the lead catcher on a team and the role that is and the responsibility that comes with it. We wanted them both to be that guy, to experience that for a good chunk of time.”

Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, was sidelined for two months last season by a fractured left wrist and played in only 59 games in his first full season of professional baseball. Rodriguez, acquired from the New York Mets as part of the three-team trade that sent Joe Musgrove to San Diego, was the Pirates’ minor league player of the year last season and surpassed Davis in the Baseball America and MLB Pipeline prospect rankings.

Another 2-homer game for @henrydavis32! pic.twitter.com/FdlATfE6sO

— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) May 10, 2023

But Davis has been on a tear for Altoona, leading the Eastern League in on-base and slugging percentage and all Double-A hitters with a 1.175 OPS. On Tuesday night, with Cherington in attendance at Peoples Natural Gas Field, Davis went 3 for 4 with two home runs and two RBIs.

“The at-bats have been good, consistent. He’s making good swing decisions, getting on base, hitting for power,” Cherington said Monday. “He’s been a tough out in that lineup. He’s hit well situationally, too. He’s a smart baseball player. He’s picked his spots on the bases. And he continues to work tirelessly on the defensive part of the game, and he’s making real progress there.

“He’s doing exactly what we asked and hoped he would do in Double-A. He’s a big part of that team. We think he’s in a really good spot and look for it to continue.”

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Pirates farm director John Baker spoke of Davis in glowing terms Tuesday afternoon while visiting PNC Park, noting that his dominance in Double-A makes it difficult to keep him at that level too long.

Rodriguez slashed .356/.442/.678 with 14 doubles, eight homers and 32 RBIs in 31 games at Altoona last season before being promoted to Indianapolis in mid-September.

Davis is slashing .316/.464/.711 with four doubles, eight homers and 17 RBIs in 21 games. He’s riding a nine-game hitting streak and 15-game on-base streak, reaching base safely in all but one game this season.

“Henry likes to make things really difficult, for sure,” Baker said. “He’s swung the bat so well. He’s run the bases so well. And his catching has improved. I think that’s the toughest part.”

Baker spent seven seasons as a major league catcher, so he emphasizes that learning the finer points of playing the position will determine the progress of the top prospects.

Perhaps more important is staying healthy. Rodriguez was placed on the seven-day injured list last month after straining his right forearm and served as designated hitter before catching the past three games. Rodriguez, 22, is slashing .264/.353/.417 with a triple, three homers and 10 RBIs in 18 games at Indianapolis.

“Happy to have him back so quickly. I think that scared everybody,” Baker said. “He is improving on the things that we’ve asked him to improve on, which are the finer points of being a catcher. He throws very well, receives well, blocks well. But there’s more to it.”

Baker noted that Rodriguez played first base, second base and the outfield last season at three levels, so he doesn’t have as much experience behind the plate as the Pirates would like, either.

“The goal for Endy Rodriguez is to stay healthy and catch as much as possible,” Baker said. “I think the game is gonna teach him what he needs to know.”

That was the directive to Davis, who admitted last month that he was ticked off about returning to Altoona. Davis has been candid about his desire to reach the major leagues as soon as possible and appears to be doing everything within his power to get on a fast track.

“I think everybody’s goal in our system is to be in Pittsburgh,” Davis said last month. “I don’t think anybody will be happy at any affiliate, you know what I mean? Our goal is to play in Pittsburgh. Our goal is to win in Pittsburgh.”

Baker said the Pirates asked Davis to focus on the pitcher-catcher relationship, to continue to put himself in a good position to throw and to become so proficient that he’s not noticed behind the plate.

“Like anything, you give Henry a target, and he attacks it with 100% ferocity. We’re seeing that,” Baker said. “I can say that every game I watched — and I watch every one of them — he’s incrementally getting better at doing that. It’s exciting to see and a testament to the work that he’s put in also.”

Even so, neither Cherington nor Baker would reveal a timeline for when Rodriguez and Davis will be ready for promotions, even though the Pirates could use the boost of their bats.

“These guys need to catch every day,” Baker said. “They’re gonna impact Pittsburgh in the not-too-distant future.”