Former Pirate Jameson Taillon relates to Henry Davis' pressures and responsibilities of being a high first-round draft pick

One of Jameson Taillon’s many admirable traits during his time as a Pittsburgh Pirate is that he never publicly used his checkered history of injuries as an excuse for anything that didn’t work out.

Not after the first Tommy John surgery. Or the sports hernia. Or the testicular cancer. Or getting hit in the head by a line drive. Or the second Tommy John.

He never played the “woe is me” card. That’s a noble perspective. It takes even more perspective to find the silver lining in those tribulations.

That’s how Taillon, now a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, responded when he was asked to compare his Pirates debut in the Major League with that of Henry Davis on Monday. After all, Taillon was the second overall pick in the 2010 draft by the franchise. Davis was the No. 1 pick in 2021.

“I had some injuries,” Taillon said in the visiting locker room at PNC Park Tuesday afternoon. “So that almost took some pressure off of me. I felt like, by the time I got here, people were kind of (saying), ‘Let’s just see what we got in this kid.’ I had two years without playing coming into that 2016 season when I debuted. So that kept me away from (the hype) a little bit.”

There’s been no such muted response for Davis. Pirates fans have been clamoring for his promotion for months, even before he spent a mere 10 games in Indianapolis.

Related:

• Tim Benz: When it comes to onus of being a No. 1 pick, Pirates say Henry Davis will 'own it and wear it with pride'
• Mt. Lebanon's Ian Happ has unique perspective on challenges of Henry Davis' MLB promotion with Pirates
• Fire drill: Henry Davis' family, friends scramble to see Pirates rookie make his MLB debut
• Promotion to Pirates comes at a new position for Henry Davis, who gets start in right field
• Henry Davis is a Pirate only 2 seasons after he was drafted in 1st round, but Gerrit Cole beat him by 8 days

“To win (in Pittsburgh), they need to hit on draft picks. They need to develop guys,” Taillon said. “So I think there’s a little bit of added pressure just from that sense. I feel like sometimes on (the Pirates’) side, you’re looked at to be some form of savior. I just hope for his sake, he just plays his game and does his thing. They have a nice group over there. I like a lot of those players.”

The right-hander ended up going 5-4 with a 3.38 earned run average during that 2016 rookie season and 29-24 with a 3.67 ERA over his four years in Pittsburgh. He also won 22 games in two years with the New York Yankees (4.06 ERA) before moving onto Chicago. Taillon is 2-5 this year with an ERA of 6.71.

So dealing with ups and downs is something this 31-year-old knows better than most. Taillon cited David Freese, Ryan Vogelsong and Gerrit Cole as three specific players who helped him figure out how to live life as a big-league player, especially in Pittsburgh.

“People pay attention here, to the minor league rankings and prospects and draft picks. That makes it exciting,” Taillon said of Pittsburgh baseball fans. “The growing up part, I don’t think had anything to do with here. I just think, in general, when you’re picked that high, in the minor leagues, there’s going to be more autograph seekers following you around. There’s going to be more prospect-ranking people around. So I don’t think it’s just a here (in Pittsburgh) thing. I think it’s just a thing that comes with being picked that high.”

You can hear the rest of my interview with Taillon in Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. We flash back to his 2016 debut against the New York Mets and discuss how the Pirates pitchers can aid Davis in his catching development. Plus we get more into how he is trying to bolster the Cubs on and off the field.

LISTEN: Former Pirate Jameson Taillon discusses Henry Davis and the pressure of being a big first-round pick in Pittsburgh