One obvious reality is holding Spencer Horwitz trade back from being Pirates steal

Spencer Horwitz powered the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Atlanta Braves with a home run on Friday. Actually, he did it twice.

Making a rare start at second base for the Pirates, Horwitz went 3-for-3 with two home runs, four RBI, two walks, and an additional run scored in Friday's 9-3 win over Atlanta.

Saturday marked the second multi-homer game of the year for Horwitz, who also racked up at least three RBI for the fifth time this season. He rode a hot streak to end his first season in Pittsburgh, slashing .338/.451/.632 with four home runs, eight doubles and 13 RBI in 82 trips to the plate over his last 24 games.

On the year, Horwitz hit a perfectly respectable .272/.353/.434 for the Pirates. He also has career highs in RBI (51), runs scored (55), doubles (26) and walks (44) in just his second full Major League season.

On the surface, Horwitz looks like a great pickup for the Pirates, who traded the now-suspended Luis Ortiz and a pair of pitching prospects to acquire him from the Cleveland Guardians in December. But the underlying numbers tell a slightly different story.

Spencer Horwitz's offensive shortcomings are holding him back from being a true steal for the Pirates

Horwitz has shown flashes of being a useful hitter since coming over to the Pirates, but his profile makes him look much more like a platoon-only bat than an everyday asset — and that’s why it’s hard to call him a true trade steal.

Against right-handed pitching, Horwitz has real value. He's hitting .269 in 315 trips to the plate against righties this season, demonstrating good contact skills, solid on-base numbers and enough gap power to keep pitchers honest.

Against left-handed pitching, however, Horwitz's performance falls off a cliff. He has just 45 plate appearances against southpaws this year, hitting just .175 against them. He has a higher strikeout rate against lefties and very little extra-base impact.

In other words, Horwitz is the type of hitter managers have to hide when a tough lefty reliever comes in, which limits his late-game value. He’s more of a line-drive, contact-first hitter, which is useful against righties, but his modest power output doesn't make him a cornerstone piece for a Pirates team that desperately needs middle-of-the-order pop.

Horwitz's “good vs righties” value is helpful, but it’s a narrow lane. His splits force him into a supporting role rather than a centerpiece. So while the Pirates may well have gotten a decent value – a useful, platoon-first-baseman – Horwitz isn’t the kind of hidden gem who transforms a lineup.