PITTSBURGH — Ben Cherington has earned my trust. Hired as the Pirates general manager in November 2019, he already has done a nice job rebuilding the team's farm system into one of the best in baseball. If he tells me Louisville catcher Henry Davis was a better choice as the No. 1 overall pick in Sunday night's MLB draft instead of Vanderbilt pitcher Jack Leiter, I'm going to believe him, even if I'd always take a star pitching prospect over a top-notch position player.
The Pirates certainly needed a promising catcher in their farm system. Davis "checks all the boxes," to quote Cherington. He is a terrific hitter with a big-time arm. The scouts say he isn't polished defensively, but his shortcomings aren't anything that can't improve with hard work. With robo-umpires coming sooner rather than later, anyway, defense for a catcher will become less important. Pitch framing no longer will be a valuable skill when a computer is calling balls and strikes.
Davis also is intriguing because of his apparent signability. I can't believe the Pirates drafted him without being convinced they could sign him, perhaps for less than slot value because he isn't likely to return to Louisville for a fourth season. He figures to be much easier to sign than Leiter, who went to the Texas Rangers with the No. 2 overall pick.
Cherington did address the Pirates' need for pitching Monday with the team's first pick on the second day of the draft, taking New Jersey prep school star left-hander Anthony Solometo. That led to rave reviews for Cherington on a day when the Pirates took Malvern Prep outfielder Lonnie White Jr. and Georgia pitcher-shortstop Bubba Chandler with their next two selections. Their top four picks all were ranked among the top 32 prospects by Baseball America.
Who knows how draftees are going to turn out in baseball, especially draftees out of high school? Picking Davis isn't the same as the Steelers taking Najee Harris, for instance. But the praise for Cherington seems well-deserved.
Now, we'll see if the Pirates can sign Solometo, who has committed to North Carolina to play baseball, White Jr., who is a Penn State football recruit as a wide receiver, and Chandler, who has committed to Clemson to play quarterback in Trevor Lawrence's shadow. The money the team will save from the Davis signing could be used to lure the three players to become professional baseball players. That appears to have been Cherington's strategy all along. This could turn out to be a great draft for the Pirates — if he can close the deals.
It's almost enough to make me excited about the Pirates' future in two, three, four years, even though the team is 34-56 at the All-Star break and headed toward its 25th losing season in the past 29 years.
Notice I wrote "almost."
It's still impossible for me to be excited about the Pirates for one reason that isn't going to change any time soon:
Bob Nutting owns the team.
I'm guessing you can feel that pain.
Will Nutting spend the money on the major league level to help Cherington build the Pirates into a winner again? Will he do what he has to do to keep Bryan Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes in town? Will he step up when it comes time to pay Davis, Solometo and the others if they become stars?
Sorry, I have my doubts.
I'm entitled to my skepticism after watching the cheap way Nutting has run the Pirates for far too long.
It's still hard for me to believe Cherington took the Pirates' job. He built a World Series winner in Boston. Clearly he is a smart baseball man who could have had a better opportunity with another, better-run franchise. Maybe he received assurances from Nutting that things will change in terms of payroll at PNC Park. Maybe he was told the owner actually will do his part to assure a winning franchise.
Maybe.
Until I see it, I'm going to remain dubious.
At this point, the sad specter of Nutting still hangs over Cherington's fine work.
