Perrotto: New Pirates 1B Spencer Horwitz Ready to Prove Himself

Spencer Horwitz has beaten the odds since entering professional baseball.

The Toronto Blue Jays selected Horwitz in the 24th round of the 2019 amateur draft from Radford University. Considering MLB reduced the draft to 20 rounds in 2021, it is possible that Horwitz might not get a shot at pro ball if he were in college now.

However, Horwitz proved in 425 plate appearances with the Blue Jays over the last two seasons that he can be a productive player in the major leagues. In 2025, the 27-year-old left-handed hitter can prove he should be a regular.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have Horwitz penciled in as their primary first baseman after acquiring him last week in a three-way trade that also included the Cleveland Guardians.

After being lightly regarded by the prospect mavens throughout his rise in the Blue Jays’ farm system, Horwitz takes nothing for granted.

“I’m definitely proud of where I’ve gotten to, but I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied,” Horwitz said Wednesday in a teleconference with reporters who cover the Pirates. “I obviously have a lot more I want to accomplish in this game, and hopefully I can do that in the black and gold.”

The Pirates hope so.

They have been unable to find a consistent first baseman since Josh Bell was traded to the Washington Nationals on Christmas Eve in 2020. Bell did not lose sight of this when we talked about it last week during a chance meeting at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport following MLB’s Winter Meetings.

Horwitz provides hope that he can solve the longstanding problem. His .355 career on-base percentage should be a boon to a team whose .301 mark last season ranked 27th among the 30 MLB teams.

There is a question of whether Horwitz will hit with enough power to be an everyday first baseman, though. He has 13 home runs in the big leagues and 42 in 448 minor-league games.

Horwitz has long heard the knocks that he is undersized for the position at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds. However, he believes he can do more in the big league than get on base.

“I think I bring a quality at-bat and can work counts and can do damage,” Horwitz said. “Damage isn’t just home runs, that’s what I’ve learned. It can come in doubles. It can come in triples. I’m not a burner that might get a lot of triples, but they’ll come.”

Horwitz comes recommended by new Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague, who was hired from the Blue Jays last month to replace the fired Andy Haines. Hague and Horwitz were together the last three years – at Double-A in 2022, Triple-A in 2023 and the major leagues this year.

“He’s been tremendous in my career,” Horwitz said. “And I know I wouldn’t be here without him. So, I know he’s going to bring great things, not just for me, but for the entire organization.”

The Pirates believe they can do great things in the coming seasons with a starting rotation that should feature youngsters Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler. Horwitz faced them all in the minor leagues and was impressed.

“I mean the pitching everyone talks about and how unbelievable it is, and facing the Pirates in the minor leagues, I felt it firsthand,” Horwitz said. “They all throw hard. They all throw inside. They all have really hard off-speed. So, I’m glad they’re going to be my team.”

If Horwitz can provide some needed run support, the pitchers will be glad he is on their team.