Former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz eager to settle in with Pirates and add stability

Spencer Horwitz was settling in to watch Gladiator II with his girlfriend last week when his phone buzzed.

By the time the movie, with a running time of two hours 28 minutes, was over, the first baseman had been traded.

Twice.

First from Toronto to Cleveland in a deal that sent Gold Glove second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Blue Jays. About an hour later, the Guardians flipped Horwitz to Pittsburgh in exchange for three pitchers.

To be honest, Horwitz was kind of entertained. Relieved, too.

While Horwitz was "ecstatic" when he heard he was heading to the reigning American League Central champions, he was a little confused, too.

"I know they have some really good first basemen," he said. "And they had [traded] Gimenez and I was curious if I was going to play second, third or kind of what the plan was."

Turns out, none of the above.

Enter the Pirates, who have had a revolving door at the position since trading Josh Bell to Washington in December 2020. Pittsburgh has employed four different opening day first basemen over the last four years: Colin Moran, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Carlos Santana and Rowdy Tellez.

'Unbelievable' pitching staff

Horwitz, who is under team control through the end of the decade, will have an opportunity to provide some stability for a team that believes the window to contend is fully open thanks to a starting rotation led by National League rookie of the year Paul Skenes.

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

The 27-year-old Horwitz hit .265 in 97 games with Toronto last season, adding 12 home runs and 40 runs batted in. While he understands that at five-foot-10 and 190 pounds he doesn't profile as a traditional power hitter at what is considered a power position, Horwitz doesn't think he needs to hit the ball over the fence 30-40 times a year to be effective at the plate.

"I think I bring a quality at-bat and can work counts and can do damage," he 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 worked 42 walks last season, and his .357 on-base percentage would have led the Pirates, who finished near the bottom of the NL in most major offensive categories, leading to an overhaul that included bringing on Matt Hague as hitting coach last month. Horwitz and Hague worked together extensively while both were with the Blue Jays.

"He's been tremendous in my career," Horwitz said of Hague. "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."

It's unclear where Horwitz might fit in the Pittsburgh lineup, which figures to be anchored by left fielder Bryan Reynolds and shortstop Oneil Cruz. Horwitz's ability to get on base means he could fit in nicely at leadoff, though he could fit somewhere in the middle.

Not that it matters to Horwitz, who understands that not many 24th-round picks ever reach the majors, especially now that the amateur draft goes just 20 rounds deep. He remembers being an undersized prospect "doing everything I could to get noticed."

It worked, though now he knows that the real work is just beginning.

"I'm definitely proud of where I've gotten to, but I wouldn't say I'm satisfied," he said. "I obviously have a lot more I want to accomplish in this game, and hopefully I can do that in the black and gold."