PITTSBURGH — The two ovations actually sounded somewhat similar, Andrew McCutchen leading off the first inning and Henry Davis two frames later. Although they were drafted 16 years apart and several genres separate their choices in walkup music, the importance of McCutchen and Davis to this franchise is hard to deny.
One made his MLB debut in 2009, brought winning baseball back to the city and established himself as the most important Pirate in decades. Davis, meanwhile, represents hope. Selected first overall in 2021, Davis will be counted upon to play a big part in the Pirates’ next winning team.
“Whenever we can add guys internally who we feel are going to be part of what we’re building, it’s exciting,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said.
There was plenty of excitement permeating the North Shore on Monday for Davis’ MLB debut against the Cubs at PNC Park, though it fizzled once the game started and the Pirates suffered a 8-0 loss, their season-long-tying seventh straight.
It was a frustrating night, an outcome the Pirates must hope to change by doing things differently in the future. Sort of how they operated when promoting Davis to the big leagues following a mere 10 games in Triple-A.
In a way, what the Pirates did with Davis mirrors their own ongoing rebuild: Things are far from finished, but there are pieces in place — important pieces — that offer enough to entice.
Walk around PNC Park, and you’ll see the McCutchen jerseys that have returned, the Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz models that have been purchased. Mitch Keller, too. The same as McCutchen experienced, there must be a nucleus — and the Pirates must continue to grow that.
At the same time, there’s a striking dichotomy at play here between Davis, who went 1 for 3 with a double and a flyout to deep center field, and McCutchen.
There’s absolutely no way former general manager Neal Huntington and his staff would’ve promoted a player after such scant time in the minors — 118 games for Davis, 393 fewer than McCutchen (511).
Davis obviously hasn’t played a ton in the minors, but his power has been evident from day one. He has also adopted a more patient approach this season, with his on-base percentage jumping from .380 to .433.
“We’ve seen him continue to make good swing decisions, hit the ball hard and make contact,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “That didn’t let up when he got to Triple-A. We’re looking to find ways to improve our team and give ourselves a chance to win games.
“We felt like he could help us, so now was the time.”
Who knows how this all works out. It could be a flaming failure, and Davis might go hitless in his next 40 at-bats. However, it’s encouraging to see the Pirates attempting to leverage what Davis can do well (hit) while making an honest admission of where he still needs work (in the field).
Sure, it took a while. Probably too long, really. Cherington talked and talked on his radio show about what goes into promoting an incomplete player, and all along the Pirates had told Davis — in a special moment where Triple-A manager Miguel Perez stuck a note in a fridge, saying Davis was coming up — he was bound for Pittsburgh.
At the same time, Cherington couldn’t necessarily come right out and say anything because they are trusting Davis to handle an unnatural situation, one where he might be the catcher of the future but also must learn right, because his bat can help.
“I felt like I did everything I could to be here,” Davis said. “Now, I want to do everything I can to help the Pirates win.
“If I can do that in right, I’m excited about it.”
Everyone associated with this team should be, too.
The first example came a minute or two after those cheers subsided, when Davis went ahead in the count, 3-0, thanks to a couple of smart takes, fell back to full, then blistered a sinker down the left-field line for a double in his first major league at-bat.
With the double, Davis became just the 11th Pirate since 1984 to record an extra-base hit in his first career plate appearance and the first one to do it at home since September 2010.
It was the type of power that led to a .284 average and .981 OPS for Davis in Altoona. It continued with marks of .286 and .946 in Triple-A. The results are similar to what Davis’ family has been watching him produce for years, the group marveling at his focus and drive to get to this moment.
Speaking with the Post-Gazette before the game, Davis’ mom, Andi Schaeffer, recalled something she and her son will text to one another when times are tough: Whatever It Takes or WIT.
Schaeffer has long marveled at her son’s dedication — to hot/cold tubs and various body treatments; his militaristic adherence to bedtime, diet and sleep-tracking; and the work ethic that would sometimes meant she'd drive home from high school baseball practice alone, when Henry refused to leave and begged his coach to keep throwing.
“He was going to do whatever it took to realize his dream,” Schaeffer said.
That mindset has already resonated with Shelton, who will ultimately be in charge of how Davis is used and how quickly or effectively he can develop in both right field and behind the plate. Shelton cited Davis’ work ethic and dedication as two of the things that stand out the most out of the Louisville product.
Shelton also echoed Cherington’s comments in that the Pirates believe they can do enough work on the side that Davis won’t fall behind as a catcher … while still affording him a place to play, if he hits.
"There'll be a lot of work to do," Shelton said. "He's going to play right field predominantly while he's here, he'll probably DH some, just depending on what we do with the rest of our lineup.
"There'll be work that's done and laid out in terms of what we're doing, why we're doing it and how we're doing it, and we will continue to work on the outfield stuff, too."
As the Pirates saw their losing streak continue, righting the ship needs to be priority No. 1 right now.
It should govern everything the Pirates do, and fans will certainly hope that extends beyond Davis to Endy Rodriguez, Nick Gonzales, Quinn Priester and others.
None will comport themselves like Davis, who was very much in business mode before the game. There was a slight smile while retelling how Perez let him know. Davis also talked about being proud of his consistency in the minor leagues and how he’s also felt ready for this challenge.
But instead of feeling awestruck or nostalgic while working pregame in front of the Clemente Wall, chatting with McCutchen or hearing outfield instructions from Reynolds, Davis did what he’s pretty much always done.
He ignored the surrounding noise and produced a favorable result.
“Definitely thankful to be here," Davis said. "It's an honor and a privilege, and I appreciate every bit of it,
"It's not always about a big game or a poor game. I just want to be consistent: have good at-bats, play good defense and help the team win."
