When the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Henry Davis at No. 1 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, they were hopeful he would become their catcher of the future. Four years later, that hope has all but disappeared.
By nearly every key metric – batting average, power production, WAR – Davis has been a disappointment so far, especially for a No. 1 overall pick. His offensive numbers are well below expectations, and though defensively he's showing improvement, he hasn't yet reached a level that compensates for his hitting struggles.
The frustration surrounding Davis' underperformance reached new heights on Friday, when the Baltimore Orioles signed prized catching prospect Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension – the richest contract ever given to a catcher with similar service time.