The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed right-handed pitcher Rookie Davis to a minor league deal with an invite to MLB Spring Training.
Davis previously pitched for the Reds, where he made a brief appearance in the majors in 2017, putting up an 8.63 ERA in 24 innings over seven appearances, with six starts. He had a 24:14 K/BB ratio during that time. His struggles in Triple-A have been similar, with a 5.87 ERA in 84.1 innings, along with a 69:20 K/BB ratio.
Davis has been a starter his entire career. He’s a big framed guy at 6′ 5″, 255 pounds, although he hasn’t thrown extremely hard, topping out at 96 and averaging around 92-93 in his brief time in the majors. It would be interesting to see if he fares better as a reliever, and if his velocity would tick up with his stuff becoming more effective in shorter outings.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
