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Outstanding update announced for former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz
Photo credit: Ron Jenkins-Forward
Last winter the Toronto Blue Jays traded first baseman Spencer Horwitz , after getting traded twice in one off-season he found himself on the Pittsburgh Pirates where he has since found tons of success.
Horwitz was traded for Andres Gimenez and since the trade many are wondering if it was the right move.
Horwitz shines with new team, while Gimenez struggles
Jake Ferraro of Jays Journal spoke on the recent success of Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz. The 27 year old has had quite the late summer push despite the struggles of his team.
"Horwitz wouldn't debut for the Pirates until May 17, and it took him a little while to get going for the last place Pirates. The 27-year-old left handed hitter had a .225/.298/.320 slash line on July 20. But since then, Horwitz has hit .342/.412/.526 with three home runs in 21 games, including a .302 average so far in 12 games in August, although the Pirates have gone 4-8 this month. Although Horwitz's five home runs on the Pirates is tied for fourth, he has been solid in other offensive categories. Horwitz is fifth on the Pirates with 15 doubles, seventh with 67 hits and tied for fifth with 33 RBI's. Horwitz's .714 OPS is also the fourth most on the Pirates."-Ferraro
The Blue Jays were expecting a lot more for Gimenez, but the former Golden Glove winner has not seemed to get into a healthy rhythm since join the AL East leaders. Much of that could be attributed to his ongoing battles with injury.
"The Blue Jays had high hopes when they acquired Gimenez, who hasn't managed to stay healthy for the majority of this season, spending most of the year out of the lineup battling injuries. After the Blue Jays' game on July 4, Gimenez was out for over a month but returned for their series earlier this week against the Chicago Cubs, going 2-6 with a walk and one run scored."-Ferraro
There is no doubt that Horwitz would have added an extra layer of hitting depth for the Blue Jays this season but Gimenez brings that added layer of defence they needed. Unfortunately if keeps battling injuries and can't stay available for the post-season one would come to think if the trade was worth it.
Either way the Blue Jays remain in a great position late in the season, but it would be ideal to have Gimenez prove his worth even further.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 16 | 1533 ANSWERS Outstanding update announced for former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz Did the Blue Jays make the right call in trading Horwtiz? | ||
| Yes | 1101 | 71.8 % |
| No | 432 | 28.2 % |
| List of polls | ||