The Pirates have been struggling horribly on offense over the past nine games, including an abysmal 10-1 loss to the Rockies on Tuesday night at PNC Park.
Meanwhile, just a two-hour drive away at Class AA Altoona, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft is mashing the ball.
Henry Davis went into Tuesday night's game against the Rubberducks slashing .292/.446/.611 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in only 20 games with the Curve. And, while the Pirates were getting pummeled by the Rockies, Davis continued to prove that he's ready for better competition.
Davis started off his night by unloading on a 1-0 fastball and blasted it far beyond the wall in left field:
This is your weekly @henrydavis32 moonshot tweet! Please react accordingly... pic.twitter.com/2ZfqrUXZjR
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) May 9, 2023
Make sure you watch that with the sound on, as you'll hear the commentary say, "Look out, Pittsburgh. That ball's coming for you."
If only.
But, if that wasn't enough, Davis gave everyone an encore, turning in his second multi-homer game of the young season:
Another 2-homer game for @henrydavis32! pic.twitter.com/FdlATfE6sO
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) May 10, 2023
And, just for good measure, this isn't a performance at Ben Cherington will hear about at the water cooler on Federal Street. He was right there in Altoona to witness it:
I believe we have a @Pirates GM in town. Henry Davis is putting om a show for Ben Cherington and I'll be surprised if he's with @AltoonaCurve much longer. pic.twitter.com/aPeFcGQV9h
— Andrew Clay 🍕 (@AndrewClayTV) May 9, 2023
The Pirates are going through an awful stretch on offense and need something to get out of it sooner rather than later so they don't squander a 21-16 start to the season. There can be a healthy debate about whether Davis is ready for The Show or not. But, he's 23 years old. He was a first overall pick. He was drafted out of college, and the main reason he's in Altoona instead of Indianapolis is so he and fellow catching prospect Endy Rodriguez can both get regular playing time behind the plate. If the Pirates want a hot bat from the farm system, this is probably the guy.
It's not like the Pirates haven't had success with bringing a position player up straight from Class AA. It happened with Bryan Reynolds and with Jack Suwinski.
Maybe Davis will have to hit one all the way to Pittsburgh in order to get the call before mid-June.
