Pirates' newest 'dark horse' first base candidate played 1 game at the position last season

When the Pittsburgh Pirates traded for Spencer Horwitz this offseason, they thought they had finally eliminated the giant question mark hovering over first base – that is, of course, until Horwitz got injured.

After offseason wrist surgery sidelined the 27-year-old from his first Pirates spring training and banished him to the injured list to start the season, the Pirates went back to the drawing board – and back to the revolving door of part-time and/or temporary first basemen that has been active in Pittsburgh for the last four years.

The Pirates haven't had a regular, full-time first baseman since they traded Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals back in 2020. Since then (and even before then), it's been a rotating cast of characters at the position, none of whom have stuck around. In other words, none of the Pirates' internal options to replace Horwitz on the Opening Day roster are particularly appealing – and some of them haven't even played at first base.

Pirates' newest 'dark horse' first base candidate played 1 game at the position last season

Earlier this month, Kevin Gorman of TribLIVE called DJ Stewart – a non-roster invitee on a minor league contract at Pirates spring training this year – a "dark horse" candidate to fill the hole at first base, at least temporarily.

Stewart, a first-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2015 MLB Draft, has played all three outfield positions and batted in the DH spot throughout his seven-year Major League career. Other than that, he appeared at first base in one game for the New York Mets last season. One. That's it.

Actually, it was five innings. So, it was really more like half of a game. And yet, Stewart is still in the mix to be the Pirates' Opening Day first baseman. According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the position battle is down to Stewart, Nick Yorke and Billy Cook. Jared Triolo is also an option, but he will be on the Opening Day roster as a utility player regardless.

Admittedly, Stewart has a tougher path to the Pirates' Opening Day roster, as Yorke and Cook are already on the 40-man. But his bat has kept him in the running, with 10 hits and five RBI across 37 Grapefruit League at-bats this spring.

Still, even if Stewart does win the first base job, it's less of an accomplishment for him than it is an indictment of the Pirates' roster management. The fact that there is no clear backup option at the position that is currently held down by a relatively unproven starter, injured or not, is deeply concerning.

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