Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz hopes to improve with his new team.
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz is dealing with a wrist injury, but he is expected to start getting back on the field soon, hopefully in time for Opening Day in three weeks against the Miami Marlins.
Regardless of whether he comes back for Game 1 or later, the Pirates have high hopes for Horwitz, who they acquired in a three-team deal with the Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays.
Bleacher Report writer Joel Reuter isn’t as high on Horwitz, however. Reuter ranked him No. 23 out of 30 starting first basemen in the league.
Horwitz posted a 125 OPS+ with 19 doubles, 12 home runs, 40 RBI and 1.2 WAR in 97 games with the Blue Jays last season, and the Pirates acquired him during the offseason in the three-team deal that sent Luis L. Ortiz to Cleveland. The 27-year-old is a bit of a late bloomer, but he comes with club control through the 2030 season.
The only players ranking below Horwitz were Nolan Schanuel (Los Angeles Angels), Rhys Hoskins (Milwaukee Brewers), Tyler Soderstrom (Athletics), Andrew Vaughn (Chicago White Sox), Jeimer Candelario (Cincinnati Reds), Ty France (Minnesota Twins) and Matt Mervis (Miami Marlins).
Once Horwitz is able to get back into the swing of things, he’ll have a chance to prove Reuter and his other critics wrong, and the Pirates right for trading for him.
BD community, what are your hopes for Horwitz this season as he joins the Pirates for his first year? Chime off in the comments section below.