Spencer Horwitz is making Pirates-Guardians trade look like a steal all by himself

The Spencer Horwitz trade has been a much-discussed topic in recent weeks, though not necessarily because of Horwitz himself.

Starting pitcher Luis Ortiz -- one of the primary pieces sent to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Horwitz -- finds himself entangled in a serious gambling scandal, and remains on indefinite leave from the Guardians as the league office tries to discern if he violated the integrity of the game.

The other pieces sent to Cleveland (left-handed pitchers Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle) have had varying degrees of success in the Guardians' organization this year, though neither has done enough to tip the scales in their organization's favor.

Thus, it appears as though the Pirates won the trade by default. However, that's a disservice to the work Spencer Horwitz has done in Pittsburgh, especially since the start of the second half.

Spencer Horwitz emerging as long-term keeper in second-half surge for Pirates

Horwitz has been solid all season, rocking a .261/.330/.398 batting line, while posting a 102 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR.

However, after posting a meager 74 wRC+ in the first half, he's been on fire since the All-Star break, more than tripling his home run total (from two to seven) while increasing his walk rate (from 8.3% to 10.4%) and lowering his strikeout rate (22.7% to 14.9%).

Overall in the second half, the first baseman is slashing .300/.373/.492 with a 141 wRC+. That latter figure, along with his 0.9 fWAR, is the second-best on the team since the All-Star break, behind only Bryan Reynolds (143 wRC+, 1.0 fWAR).

A lot of this surge has to do with a change in his point of contact. Horwitz is pulling the ball seven percent more often in the second half (33.9% to 41.0%), hence why his BABIP has jumped 30 points despite a four-percent decrease in his hard-hit rate.

For a guy whose most elite trait is hitting the ball at an ideal launch angle, this desire to catch the ball more out in front is working wonders for Horwitz's power. His home run per fly ball rate is up a whopping nine percent (from 3.8% to 12.8%), and his ISO has practically doubled (from 0.98 to 1.92).

Sure, it'd be nice if he was hitting the ball harder or swinging the bat faster, but this version of Horwitz is more than just a "default" trade win. He can very well be the future of first base in Pittsburgh -- especially if the Pirates continue to do a good job hiding him versus southpaws -- and mark this trade with the Guardians as one of the best in recent franchise history.