The Pittsburgh Pirates have made a lot of improvements this offseason, and they’ve also got phenom prospect Konnor Griffin on the doorsteps of the major leagues.

The one spot they aren’t particularly strong in, though, is catcher. Henry Davis could change that.

Davis has been with the Pirates, of course. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He’s supposed to be rising toward stardom.

Instead, his bat was left behind somewhere. For Pittsburgh to reach its ceiling, Davis probably needs to find his way toward his.

“When the Bucs took Davis with the top pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, they were as excited about his bat-to-ball ability as they were his power bat,” MLB.com’s Dawn Klemish wrote in a new article on Tuesday. “He has struggled at the plate though, particularly last season, when he slashed .167/.234/.278.”

MORE: There’s one question Pirates phenom Konnor Griffin needs to answer

The Pirates have tried all sorts of guys behind the dish as Davis has continued to struggle, but the reality is that his conceptual upside is much higher, even if it hasn’t come close to being realized.

“That’s not all on Davis, who also couldn’t gain much momentum when splitting lineup time with two other catchers (Joey Bart and Endy Rodríguez),” Klemish wrote. “Davis is easily the best defensive catcher out of the quartet currently in camp (also Rafael Flores Jr.), and if he can get hot at the plate like the Pirates believe he’s capable of doing, it would go a long way toward claiming a more full-time role in the lineup.”

Davis already has the defense thing going for him. Given how talented the Pirates’ pitching rotation is, at least half the battle to being the full-time backstop is simply guiding them toward success.

But for career upside and the Pirates’ chances of really being competitive for the entire season, Davis needs to hit, too. He had a pedigree of doing so, but it hasn’t clicked in the majors yet.

If Davis can break through, the Pirates can, too.

More MLB news: