Pirates' Spencer Horwitz continues strong 2nd half of season at plate

When he finally suited up for his first game with the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 17, Spencer Horwitz was chomping at the bit to contribute.

Because of wrist surgery in late March, Horwitz’s Pirates debut was delayed approximately six weeks after the club had traded for him Dec. 10, a day he was shipped first from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Cleveland Guardians before Pittsburgh.

Upon completing a minor-league rehab assignment, Horwitz struggled at the plate over his first couple weeks, slashing .216/.286/.314 in 51 May at-bats.

With the Pirates already tanking by then, having fired manager Derek Shelton on May 8, Horwitz admitted that trying to do too much in the batter’s box, on top of his own high expectations, contributed to his slow start.

“I don’t think it was pressure from the outside or other people, but it was more from myself,” he said. “I think I did a poor job of that in the beginning, just wanting to prove myself and wanting to help this team so badly. I was trying to be something I wasn’t.”

But four months later, Horwitz has managed to put together a respectable offensive campaign more in line with what the Pirates imagined they were getting when trading for him.

Sitting at 99 games played on the year, a career-high, Horwitz has slashed .260/.338/.405 with nine homers, 42 RBIs and 22 doubles.

That reflects closely to what he did over 97 games last year with the Blue Jays in what constituted his most extensive MLB campaign prior to joining the Pirates.

Over that span in 2024, Horwitz slashed .265/.357/.433 with 12 home runs, 40 RBIs and 19 doubles.

As Horwitz has gotten settled at the plate and at first base, the Pirates have been pleased with his presence in the everyday lineup.

“I think he’s had a heck of a year,” manager Don Kelly said. “We’ve talked about the big trade coming over and getting hurt, and not getting off to such a strong start and the adjustments he’s been able to make — defensively, I think he’s been phenomenal. … Just really impressed with how he’s been able to adjust throughout the season in a tough situation after a big trade and being hurt as well.”

While he played some second base with Toronto last year, the entirety of Horwitz’s defensive action this season has come at first base, where he’s made 87 starts, recording four errors in 771 ⅔ innings for a .994 fielding percentage.

To date, the Pirates have not had any conversations with Horwitz about cycling in at second base, instead leaving him exclusively at first.

“I feel good there,” Horwitz said. “I think playing second base a good bit in the big leagues helped me this year, just being light around my feet with that first step. I think I could improve a little more and try to help the guys around me.

“That made a big difference for me, having a great first baseman when I was playing second, making those picks when you need them. It gives you confidence and hopefully, (my teammates) feel that when I’m over there.”

Entering Friday’s contest vs. the Athletics, Horwitz has been enjoying his strongest offensive month of the year to date, posting a September on-base percentage of .400 and slugging percentage of .514.

Horwitz partially attributed hitting his stride to trying less to hit the ball over the fence and being more strategic with his swings.

“I think it’s not so much for me those sexy exit velocities, but more of backspinning the ball, putting the ball in the air and taking chances, educated guesses on certain counts and certain pitches,” Horwitz said. “Just doing that more consistently.”

Ultimately, the true extent of Horwitz’s power-hitting potential remains to be seen, given he’s played in only 211 career MLB contests.

However, Horwitz’s home run-hitting capacity thus far has lined up with what he did in the minors. Coming up through the Blue Jays farm system, he had campaigns of 12, 12 and 10 homers.

All three of those seasons (2021-23), split between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A, featured Horwitz hitting at least 30 doubles.

This season, Horwitz’s 22 doubles are tied for second on the Pirates, while he is among the club’s leaders in slugging (first), on-base percentage (second) and OPS (.743, first).

Stacking at-bats over the course of multiple months has helped Horwitz put together the kind of season he was hoping for pre-injury.

“I think just reps and the lack of reps at the beginning,” he said. “Being comfortable with who I am is more of it, too. It’s understanding that I’m not the guy who’s going to go hit 40 home runs a year. I’m the guy who’s going to put together quality at-bats and hit the ball all over the field.”