Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/catcherHenry Daviswent 1-for-3 with a home run in Saturday's 8-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers. He hit his fourth homer of spring training on Saturday, a solo shot in the top of the third inning against Matt Manning. Davis is hitting .333 with four homers and nine RBI with a 1.280 OPS in 21 at-bats this spring. He'll look to improve upon his 2023 season in which the former No. 1 overall pick was underwhelming at the plate with a .213 batting average, seven home runs, and 24 RBI in 62 games. ATC projects Davis to notch 15 HR and 52 RBI on a .243 batting average. WithEndy Rodriguez(elbow) slated to miss the 2024 season and offseason signing of free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal, Davis' hot spring is forcing his way onto the Opening Day roster and will split time between catcher and outfield in 2024. The 24-year-old's draft stock continues to soar with his hot spring, and he could smash his current NFBC ADP of 291.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfielder Henry Davis is off to a big start this spring as he enters his sophomore season. The 24-year-old is 6-for-18 (.333) with three home runs, eight RBI, and two walks across 21 trips to the plate in seven spring games, good for a 1.214 OPS in that time. It's certainly an encouraging start for the former first-overall pick who struggled in his big-league debut in 2023, hitting just .213 with seven home runs, three stolen bases, and a .653 OPS across 62 appearances. However, Davis also raked to the tune of a .306 average with 12 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and a 1.015 OPS across 55 games between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. He is currently outfield-only eligible in NFBC leagues but will gain catcher eligibility in short order as he arrived at camp as a backstop. Considering the 15 home runs and nine stolen bases ATC is projecting for the 2024 season, Davis' fantasy value skyrockets as a catcher.

Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz is off to a solid start this spring as he look to bounce back from what was, overall, a down season at the plate. The 27-year-old is 4-for-12 (.333) with a pair of doubles and five RBI across 12 trips to the plate to begin his Grapefruit League action. In his age-26 season, De La Cruz hit .257 with 19 home runs and 78 RBI, alongside a .715 OPS, across 153 games played in 2023, production that graded out 8% inferior to the league average, as per his 92 wRC+. However, his .330 xwOBA was well above his .309 wOBA and he generally posted strong Statcast metrics. ATC projects 20 home runs and 69 RBI for De La Cruz in the 2024 season, making him a decent, yet unspectacular fantasy asset.

A day after hitting his first home run of the spring, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout in Wednesday's 6-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Orioles. The lefty hitter is now 3-for-15 (.200) in spring action with a home run and a double. More concerningly, he's also struck out six times, so managers hoping he would bring his K% down in 2024 may be disappointed. If he hits 26 home runs again and maintains his 2023 walk rate of 14.0%, they also may not care. RotoBaller ranks the 25-year-old at 220 overall, ahead of his NFBC ADP of 236.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (Achilles) said that he is making his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday. "Got a uniform in here. Might as well wear it," McCutchen said. The 37-year-old said his modified, back-field program this spring has kept his health/body in a great spot entering the 2024 season. McCutchen suffered a partial tear of his left Achilles in 2023, which is why he's being slow-played in camp by the Pirates. The former National League MVP in 2013 is clearly past his prime, but he was decent before his injury in his return to Pittsburgh last year, slashing .256/.378/.397 with 12 home runs, 43 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 112 games. McCutchen's lack of outfield eligibility in fantasy is bad news for his overall fantasy appeal, though.