u/SedatedSleeper

Spenny Horwitz (any Kenny vs Spenny fans out there?) currently occupies the strong side of a first base platoon is now the starting first baseman for the Pirates. When I originally started to write about Spencer Horcrux (any Harry Potter Fans?) about 10 days ago his ownership rate sat at a miniscule 4%. Well, it’s more than quadrupled since (18%) and I figured even though I wasn’t doing a full article this week, this man deserved a quick spotlight. So, what’s all the fuss about?

Well for starters, he has started 12 straight games. He has mostly hit leadoff (7 times) but also hit cleanup or 5^(th) in the order during this stretch. Premium lineup position not enough for you? Well his plate discipline and strike zone management certainly will get your juices flowing. He is currently ranked 4^(th) in MLB for BB/K ratio (1.208), ranking ahead of guys like Vlad the Imapler Jr. and Jose Ramirez. Anything above 1 is pretty well elite, as you can tell from his league wide standing. His standard stats from the last month also back it up – he’s hit .333, with 12 runs, 4 HR, 16 RBI, and 1 SB. For the season he’s at an .864 OPS. Obviously, it’s not all positive with potential waiver wire adds at this point in the year. One look at his Savant page will tell you that.

https://preview.redd.it/ius44vyd6l4h1.png?width=437&format=png&auto=webp&s=16c2829efe47917f0a44e2caad488514e7ffc4c4

He doesn’t swing particularly fast and that’s further seen with his low barrel and hard-hit rates. But the bottom portion of that page is a bit more intriguing. I wouldn’t expect a ton of power from Horwitz, but he will seemingly give you a competitive AB each time his name comes up in the order. He’s managing the zone very well and is not an easy out at the moment. Now, I can appreciate this move isn’t overly appealing to those who play in more standard sized formats (it’s definitely more appealing than it was 10 days ago when I started writing). However, those in deeper leagues (14+ teams) should take notice. Heck at this rate, he should be on your radar if you are in 12-teamers. Add him now if you have an empty roster spot to see if this is a flash in the pan or something more sustainable (I think it’s the latter – checkout his xwOBA over his last 100 PAs).

https://preview.redd.it/qckkvuyd6l4h1.png?width=753&format=png&auto=webp&s=37729584fb584963edeabfa92baa2a0248f572a1

Or don’t add him. But you better get ready to explain to your future self why you let a man with this much plate discipline on a somewhat unnoticed heater sit on the wire, only to be plucked by your rival later this week.

Hopefully I’ll be back next week with a regular article and roster review. Thanks for reading