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Henry Davis is raking.
Every time the ball leaves Davis' bat, it leaves in a hurry. That much was proven to be very true Tuesday night when both of Davis' homers left the bat at 109 and 111 mph, respectively.
Yeah, that's good. His leading all Eastern League players with a 1.175 OPS (on-base plus slugging) is also very good. So too is being fourth among all Minor League Baseball players in OPS and sixth in slugging percentage at .711.
He's tallied eight homers and 17 RBIs through 21 games for Altoona this season. Those are also pretty good. So why isn't he in Triple-A or even Pittsburgh?
He's not ready yet.
How can he not be ready? It's simple, really. Yes, he can hit, but being a catcher is much more than hitting. It's calling games. It's understanding situations with pitchers. It's receiving the ball properly.
The list could go on and on, but with only 52 games in Double-A under his belt, the time isn't now for him to get to Indianapolis, where he would ultimately be blocked from everyday reps at catcher by Endy Rodriguez when he returns from the Injured List.
And that's OK. Davis is 23 years old and in only his third season of professional baseball after being selected first in the 2021 MLB Draft. There's a lot of room for growth, and Altoona is where that can and should happen … for now.
"I think he's still continuing to grow as a catcher," Curve manager Callix Crabbe said. "That's always going to be the case for every young catcher."
The Pirates have been and will continue to be very deliberate with Davis with a focus on his growth defensively and staying healthy. When healthy, it's very easy to see why the Pirates selected him where they did.
In Altoona, though, it's all about his growth at his position. That's progressing nicely even early in the season, but still work can be done. One of the most sought traits the Pirates looked for in current starting catcher Austin Hedges wasn't his hitting tool, it was his ability to call the game as well as his ability to build relationships with the pitching staff.
That being said, it's no surprise the man behind the plate for Mitch Keller's shutout was none other than Hedges.
For now, Davis is working on the behind-the-scenes aspect of catching as well as the on-field component, too.
"He's been working with pitching coach Cale Johnson on strategies and decision making with pitches and how pitchers are going to optimize their pitches," Crabbe said. "That's been really good to see him work through the nuance of catching."
For now, Davis gets to do that in Altoona and throughout ballparks in the Eastern League. Barring any significant setbacks, he will find himself in Indianapolis sometime this summer.
Will he be in Pittsburgh by the end of the season? Anything is possible, but for now he's right where he needs to be, behind the plate for the Altoona Curve.
Jarrod Prugar covers the Altoona Curve for the Mirror.