Nearly two years after the Pirates chose him with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 MLB draft, catcher Henry Davis will make his much-anticipated major league debut on Monday night against the Cubs. But even if his eventual arrival to the big leagues seemed inevitable given his high pedigree, that doesn’t make the moment in which Davis learned his lifelong dream would soon become reality any less exciting.
Which is what makes it all the more special to see that moment caught on camera.
Davis was going over video down at Triple A when he was asked to grab a water bottle from inside a desk drawer. Little did the 23-year-old know, inside the drawer was also a note with a simple message: “Welcome to the Show.”
The moment Henry found out he was coming to Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/eHnNs0Dr0f
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 19, 2023
Is somebody cutting onions here?
Davis was a college star at Louisville, posting a 1.001 career OPS with 21 home runs in 109 games. He became just the third catcher of the 21st century to be taken with the No. 1 pick, joining Adley Rutschman (2019) and Joe Mauer (’01).
Davis joins a Pirates team in the midst of a six-game losing streak, though still in the hunt in the wide-open National League Central. He certainly looks like he could provide a big help: In 51 games in the minors this season, Davis dominated opposing pitching, posting a .284/.433/.541 slash line with 11 homers and nine stolen bases in 51 games.
