Henry Davis would love to share his secret for throwing out base stealers but the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher doesn’t even get to see what works for him most of the time because his mask is often turned sideways and blocking his view.
“I have no idea. I’m just trying to put the ball on the bag as soon as I can,” Davis said. “I just throw it down there as fast as I can, and my mask goes in front of my face.”
Davis has gunned down three of the five players attempting to steal second base this season – Luis Robert of the New York Mets, Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds and Taylor Ward of the Baltimore Orioles – for a 60% success rate that’s even more impressive when considering that Davis is tied for best pop time (1.86 seconds) and owns the highest velocity throw (87.7 mph) in the major leagues this season.
“He’s always ready to do it, transfers the ball really quickly, throws the ball really hard and it’s always accurate,” Pirates ace Paul Skenes said. “That’s a pretty good equation for throwing baserunners out.”
Skenes believes the onus on throwing out baserunners is two-fold, emphasizing the importance for pitchers to keep runners at first base, force bad jumps and be quick to the plate with their pitch. Davis puts the finishing touch by throwing perfect strikes to second base.
“When we do those three things as pitchers, then it’s just catch-and-throw for the catcher,” Skenes said, “and Henry’s really good at doing the fundamental.”
Davis was selected with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft because of his bat, and there were doubts within the organization of whether he would ever catch in the majors.
When the Pirates promoted Davis for his MLB debut in 2023 it was as a right fielder. He delivered 10 doubles, seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 62 games as a rookie but was a disaster on defense, with minus-9 defensive runs saved in 417 1/3 innings over 49 games.
Davis was determined to catch for the Pirates, so he worked to improve his play behind the plate. Where he was once considered noisy, he’s now viewed as athletic. Davis had eight DRS last season, when he received votes for the Gold Glove Award, and become a dangerous weapon for the Pirates as a run game deterrent this season.
“The defense, in my mind, has taken even another step forward,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “I think he’s changing the way other teams are attacking us in terms of running games, things like that.”
Even as Davis develops a reputation for being an elite defender behind the dish, he doesn’t pay much attention to talk that he’s sending a message to opponents daring them to run at their own risk.
“I don’t know. I don’t really care,” Davis said, with a shrug. “They can go. It doesn’t matter to me. Obviously, controlling the running game is important to the team. If they go, they go. Just try to put a good throw on the bag.”
SportsNet Pittsburgh studio analyst Michael McKenry, who spent three of his seven seasons in the majors catching for the Pirates, says Davis has “remarkable” attention to detail.
“He’s so athletic but he’s made physical changes,” McKenry said. “If you remember when he first came up, he was missing up the line, his arm was always late. So, he quickened that arm action. Gets the ball in his hand, gets his feet down. He never reaches back for more.”
That’s not entirely true. Davis treats the throw down to second in-between innings as an opportunity to practice, firing it as hard as he can to simulate game conditions and work on his skill.
“Honestly, I just take every rep between innings like the guy is stealing,” Davis said. “I think they stack up over time. When you throw down between innings, some guys just float it down. I never understood that, if you’re trying to get better at a skill. I’m trying to be a well-rounded catcher and that’s the best opportunity you have.”
Davis also isn’t a stickler for a certain style of catching. The Pirates have persuaded their backstops to keep one knee down, so Davis has adapted. As far as fundamentals go, he subscribes to doing whatever works.
“I don’t think about it at all. I just try to get it there as fast as I can,” Davis said. “There’s no rules. I remember growing up and everybody saying, ‘Well, you’ve got to stay square.” No, you don’t. Do whatever you want to get the guy out. So I’m just trying to throw it as fast as I can.”
Davis threw out Robert in the third game of the season, firing a throw that carried shortstop Jared Triolo over second base for a spectacular tag following a leadoff walk in the sixth inning of a 4-3 win. Davis also delivered the game-winning hit with an RBI single in the 10th inning.
The following day, Davis threw out the 6-foot-5 De La Cruz after his leadoff single in the fourth inning. On Sunday, Ward hit a leadoff single but Davis made a masterful throw to rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin.
“The defensive progress he’s made and the development he’s had behind the plate has been phenomenal,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He’s always had the strong arm, but the quickness he’s shown behind the plate blocking, receiving and that throw he made to nail Ward was a huge play early on in that game.
“The one thing that stands out about Henry is how athletic he is. When he gets out there and how he moves, he’s fast. … He’s an extremely good athlete. I think that it shows behind the plate whenever somebody takes off because he is so quick to get rid of it and he has such a strong arm.”