Spencer Horwitz Reveals What He Brings To Pirates
No need was as pressing for the Pittsburgh Pirates as adding an impact bat or two to an offense that ranked among the league’s worst last season.
Pittsburgh took a step in the right direction when it traded right-handed starting pitcher Luis Ortiz and left-handed pitching prospects Michael Kennedy and Joshua Hartle to the Cleveland Guardians for left-handed hitting infielder Spencer Horwitz. Horwitz was acquired by the Guariands from the Toronto Blue Jays in a trade that was headlined by All-Star second baseman Andrés Giménez heading north of the border.
Horwitz showed promise in 2024 and could be part of the solution for the Pirates’ offensive woes. With Horwitz, he said the Pirates will be getting a proven hitter who can do everything at the plate.
“I think I bring a quality at-bat and can work counts and can do damage and damage isn’t just home runs,” Horwitz said. That's what I've learned. It can come in doubles and come in triples. I'm not the burner that might get a lot of triples, but they'll come. I'm excited just to just hopefully contribute to this offense.”
Horwitz played in 97 games for the Blue Jays and batted .265/.357/.433 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs. He also spent a decent chunk of last season in Triple-A for Toronto and hit .335/.456/.514 with 4 home runs and 38 RBIs before getting called up and making his 2024 debut on June 8.
Along with the potential for more playing time, Horwitz will have a pair of familiar faces in hitting coach Matt Hague and infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Hague was the Blue Jays’ assistant hitting coach and the team’s hitting coach in the minor leagues from 2021 to 2023, which helped familiarize him with Horwitz as they both worked their way up the organization. IKF spent over the first half of the 2024 season with Toronto before he was traded to Pittsburgh ahead of the trade deadline last season.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton noted the impact Hague and Kiner-Falefa had on his team acquiring Horwitz and he believes the new first baseman can thrive with more opportunities and help Pittsburgh take the steps it need to improve in 2025.
"More with Hague was because he knew him and when we started to get down the road in the process, he was able to communicate with his thoughts on him," Shelton said. "[I] got a text from IKF because he played with him. Overall, [it's] a good pickup that helps us lengthen our lineup. We came into the offseason saying that we needed to improve our offense and I think we have."
