PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired first baseman Spencer Horwitz from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz and two minor league pitchers.
Horwitz, 27, finished first among all qualifed MLB rookies in on-base percentage (.357), fourth in OPS (.790), sixth in batting average (.265), and eighth in slugging percentage (.433) while playing in 97 games with Toronto in 2024.
“Spencer has been a consistently strong offensive performer throughout his pro career, including his first extended Major League experience this season,” said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. “As a left-handed hitting first baseman with on-base skill, we believe he’s a strong fit for our lineup and team.”
Horwitz reached base safely in each of his first 17 starts of 2024 with Toronto from June 8 to July 2, matching Bo Bichette (2019) for the longest streak to start a season by a rookie in club history.
He made his big league debut on June 18, 2023, where he became the fourth player in club history with a hit, walk, RBI and run scored in his MLB debut.
Horwitz was selected by Toronto in the 24th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Radford (VA) University.
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