Grading the Spencer Horwitz trade for the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first big trade this offseason on Tuesday night at the Winter Meetings, acquiring infielder Spencer Horwitz from the Cleveland Guardians for three pitchers. Horwitz had been traded to Cleveland mere hours earlier in exchange for Andrés Giménez. The Pirates have seemingly found an answer at first base, and quite a good one, too, for multiple years. So how well did the Pirates end up grading out in one of the biggest trades Ben Cherington has made as the team's general manager?

What the Pirates are getting in Spencer Horwitz

Spencer Horwitz is a former 24th-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his MLB debut late into the 2023 season, appearing in 15 games. The infielder opened the 2024 season at Triple-A, where he mashed to the tune of a .335/.456/.514 triple-slash, .436 wOBA, and 160 wRC+ in 259 plate appearances. Horwitz only struck out 15.8% of the time and walked at an even more frequent 17% rate.

That strong start to the year earned Horwitz a promotion to MLB, and he continued to hit well in his first extended look against big-league pitching. Horwitz collected 381 plate appearances and put up a .265/.357/.433 triple-slash. He hit for an above-average amount of power, with a dozen home runs and a .168 isolated slugging percentage. Horwitz continued to keep his K% down at just 18% and walked at a healthy 11% rate. Horwitz ended the year with a .344 wOBA and 127 wRC+. Underlying numbers also put Horwitz in a positive light. He was above the 60th percentile in each of xwOBA (.338), xSLG% (.423), and xBA (.254). Horwitz had a respectable 88.2 MPH exit velocity and an 8% barrel rate.

Horwitz ended up as one of the best rookie hitters in 2024. There were 26 rookies with at least 350 plate appearances last season. Horwitz had the third-best wRC+, only surpassed by Lawrence Butler and Jackson Merrill. He also had the third-best wOBA and the fifth-best OPS. Horwitz led all rookies in on-base percentage and was eighth in isolated slugging percentage. 

The standout rookie split his year between second base and third base. He received mixed reviews for his defense at the keystone, with -5 defensive runs saved, but a more neutral zero outs above average. However, he looked better at first base, with only -1 DRS and +1 OAA. Horwitz would likely fit better at first base anyway, considering he was in the seventh percentile of sprint speed in 2024.

The Pirates have Horwitz under control for many more seasons. He is still an entire season away from arbitration and doesn’t become a free agent until after the 2029 campaign. However, Horwitz has one glaring red flag: his drastic platoon splits. When facing right-handed pitchers, Horwitz had a .864 OPS, .373 wOBA, and 147 wRC+. But when Horwitz had to face same-handed hurlers, he saw his numbers dip to a .522 OPS, .239 wOBA, and 53 wRC+ in 2024.