Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz primed for post-Blue Jays lift off originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Spencer Horwitz was sent from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Pittsburgh Pirates midway through last season.

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And no, none of us noticed how good he was after the move.

“Here is perhaps our favorite fun fact of the 2025 season: Which team had the best offensive production out of first base over the final two months of the season?” MLB.com’s Mike Petriello wrote in a new article on Saturday. “You’re thinking maybe the Blue Jays (Vladimir Guererro Jr.) or Dodgers (Freddie Freeman) or A’s (Nick Kurtz) or any of the other clubs with stars at first and … well, no. It was the Pirates. Yes, really. Horwitz still counts as a breakout possibility because you absolutely did not notice this while it was happening.”

Horwitz always had some promising hitting metrics as he rose through the minor leagues.

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But to be that good isn’t necessarily someone would’ve seen coming.

“He reached the All-Star break hitting only .232/.298/.329,” Petriello wrote. “But the rest of July into August was very good (.833 OPS), and September was fantastic (1.089 OPS), and all of a sudden, Horwitz has gone from an afterthought to a particularly interesting piece in what Pittsburgh hopes is a revitalized lineup.”

MORE: Big Papi’s son has a special moment for the Red Sox

The Pirates made a bunch of additions this offseason, which isn’t normally their way of operating, so that has created plenty of excitement already.

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If Horwitz’s improvements are real, then that’s almost like another addition, too.

Keep an eye on him. This could be one of the biggest X-factors in the Pirates chasing a surprise division title in 2026.

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