PITTSBURGH - Henry Davis has struggled at the plate with the Pittsburgh Pirates , but he believes he's figured out one of his flaws.
Davis hit a solo home run for the Pirates against the Los Angeles Angels , which turned out to be the winning run in the 1-0 shutout victory in the series finale at PNC Park on Sept. 6.
The Pirates catcher hit a ball to left field, as he does, but kept it fair, sending it 100.1 mph and 364 feet into the left field bleachers for his ninth home run.
Davis hadn't shown that kind of power in almost two months, hitting his last home run on July 12, but there are some changes he's made to try and get the most out of his swing.
The Pirates selected Davis with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Louisville, hoping he would serve as a great right-handed power bat for years to come.
Davis has shown glimpses of that power, but he's never quite put it all together at the plate, batting .177/.263/.297 for an OPS of .560 through 275 games and .169/.266/.304 for an OPS of .570 in 89 games this season.
Jul 31, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis (32) hits a RBI single in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He also ranks as one of the worst hitters in baseball, with at least 250 plate appearances, the third-lowest batting average, fourth-lowest OPS and both the eighth-lowest on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Davis spoke postgame about changes he's made , including activating his back leg and figuring out how to do that while maintaining full-time catching duties.
"Just some back leg stuff," Davis said. "Think sometimes- obviously, I haven't hit well since I started catching, and when I started catching well, I started doing right knee down. It really fatigues your back leg, which obviously as a hitter, you want to get started and be able to hold it. So I'm trying some different things to be able to activate it before I get up in the box, and I feel like it's really helped me.
Davis also had some good at-bats in this game, aside from the home run, as he hit a ball to the right field wall in the sixth inning, but Angels right fielder Wade Meckler made a great catch to rob Davis of an extra-base hit.
It's been tough for Davis to find consistency at the plate, putting in the work to try and become the hitter the Pirates drafted him as.
Davis is just looking for any way he can get better and has worked with the coaching staff, manager Don Kelly in particular, and the back leg/hip activation has been his main goal.
"I don't know. I feel like the last couple years I feel pretty good before the game with my work, and then it doesn't really click in the game oftentimes, and sometimes it does," Davis said. "And then I had a conversation with DK about how, when I go into the game, I just kind of rake.
"Like if I'm randomly put in the game or somebody comes out from an injury, I've had really good numbers. That started the curiosity train there, and I feel like if there's certain things I can do to help activate my back hip as I'm going in, I need to do it."
The offense may still be a work in progress, but Davis is one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball.
His four stolen bases runs saved (rSB) and nine defensive runs saved (DRS) ranked tied for most and fourth-most of any catcher with at least 650 innings played in 2026.
Davis also helped in one crucial winning play for the Pirates, making the tag out at home plate on the relay from center fielder Oneil Cruz to second baseman Brandon Lowe and got Angels shortstop Zach Neto out to keep the shutout alive in the fifth inning.
Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes , who has Davis as his personal catcher, praised his defense while acknowledging he forgot where he was supposed to be on the play.
"It was a pretty good play," Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes said. "I'm going to be on some videos about what not to do as a pitcher. You're supposed to back up home plate there. Truthfully, I wasn't really expecting him to go home. Really nice play by them."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/pirates/onsi as Pirates' Henry Davis Making Big Changes at Plate .
