As he prepares for his first spring training as a member of the Pirates, Spencer Horwitz won't just be handed a regular role in the starting lineup. He's well aware of the fact that he has to earn it. That's why he has his focus set on competing this spring and proving his value as a full-time contributor rather than a platoon player.

Acquired from the Guardians during the Winter Meetings last month, Horwitz has always believed in his ability to regularly contribute at the major-league level. Self-confidence isn't something he lacked prior to making his debut with the Blue Jays in 2023, but there's always a bit of uncertainty until a player steps foot on the field and generates results. 

Horwitz's confidence swelled during a 2024 season in which he slashed .265/.357/.433 with a .790 OPS in 97 games. He didn't show prototypical first-baseman-like power with just 12 home runs, but he contributed with 40 RBIs, boasted an above-average walk rate of 11% and a strikeout rate of 18.4%. Sure, he didn't play a full major-league schedule, but that latter rate is still lower than the average strikeout rate -- around 24% -- for major-league hitters. 

"Something I've learned a lot in the past, I'd say, year or so of being a fringe big-league guy is that I can't please everybody," Horwitz said earlier this month. "But I know my game plays. I think quality at-bats and doing damage when you can, there's nothing wrong with that. People will always say that I don't have enough power, but I think walks, doubles and home runs, when they come, are enough." 

While he displays respectable plate discipline as well as the ability to provide value with professional at-bats more often than not, there are areas, especially offensively, where Horwitz needs to improve. That begins and ends with being able to consistently hit against left-handed pitching. Horwitz was a .285 hitter against righties and a .194 hitter against lefties in 2024, leading many to believe a right-handed bat would have to be paired with him to establish a potential platoon over at first base. Horwitz doesn't want that to have to be the case, though. His overall numbers may tell a different story, but he believes in his ability to hit against left handers and provide valuable every day production for his new club. Once he arrives in Bradenton, Fla. for spring training in a few short weeks, he intends to show exactly what he's capable of.

"I’ve been working at it for years," Horwitz said. "I don’t want to be known as a platoon guy. Hopefully I get some chances against lefties, too.”