Pirates Giving Non-Roster Invitee Pitcher The Start vs. Orioles
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had many different pitchers earn starts so far in Spring Training and will give another pitcher a shot to prove he can perform at the major league level.
The Pirates will have right-handed pitcher Noah Davis make his first Grapefruit League start, as they face the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. on March 10.
Davis signed with the Pirates this offseason on a minor league deal and is a non-roster invitee to Major League Camp, meaning he is not on the 40-man roster.
It is a big moment for Davis, who has appeared out of the bullpen for the Pirates, but will now get his biggest opportunity for the Pirates this spring.
What Noah Davis Has Done So Far in Spring Training
Davis has pitched in two games for the Pirates so far in the Grapefruit League, both just bullpen outings.
He threw two scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth innings in the Pirates Grapefruit League home opener at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. on Feb. 22, with no base runners allowed and posting three strikeouts in the 7-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Davis then came out for the Pirates against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin park on March 6.
He threw the final three innings, giving up a triple and a run in the seventh inning and then two home runs home runs in the eighth inning, for four earned runs allowed in the 9-2 defeat to the Blue Jays.
Davis currently has a 7.20 ERA over five innings, with a .300 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 1.20 WHIP.
Davis Pitch Mix With Pirates
He has utilized a number of pitches with the Pirates in his two appearances, bringing a vast pitch mix to his outings.
Davis throws a cutter, a four-seam fastball, a sinker, plus offspeed pitches in a sweeper, a screwball and a curveball.
His cutter and his sinker are his main velocity pitches, while also throwing the fastball on occassion, while his sweeper is his main offspeed pitch.
Davis has thrown all five of these pitches in the past, so nothing new for his arsenal this season. His fastball and sinker reach round 95 mph and his cutter is around the upper 80s, while his offspeed pitches like his screwball can hit the upper 80s and his sweeper is generally around 80-81 mph.
Background on Noah Davis
This start for Davis isn't just rare, as he is a non-roster invitee, but because he has mostly featured out of the bullpen at the major league level.
He has pitched in 27 MLB games out of the bullpen over the past four seasons, including 18 with the Colorado Rockies from 2022-24.
Davis was entirely a starting pitcher in his first four minor league seasons, before transitioning to the bullpen in 2024 and moving to a relief role.
He has also pitched for two other MLB teams in the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins for nine combined games across the 2025 season.
Davis pitched once against the Pirates last season, throwing two scoreless innings for the Dodgers on April 25 in the 3-0 loss at Dodgers Stadium, with Paul Skenes dominating for the road team.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Record | 0-6 |
Games | 27 |
ERA | 9.53 |
Innings Pitched | 62.1 |
Strikeouts/Walks | 58/29 |
Batting Average Allowed (BAA) | .364 |
WHIP | 2.05 |
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.