This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ front office took a big hit on Friday as it was first reported by Over-Slot Baseball’s Joe Doyle that director of amateur scouting Justin Horowitz is leaving the organization to take a job with the Washington Nationals as an assistant general manager.
Horowitz joined the Pirates two years ago from the Boston Red Sox and oversaw the last two drafts. In 2024, the Pirates took now-top prospect Konnor Griffin with the ninth pick out of high school in Mississippi. This past draft, Pittsburgh selected prep right-hander Seth Hernandez, who is ranked as the organization’s third-best prospect.
Both drafts received strong reviews by evaluators, and the Pirates’ system improved drastically under Horowitz’s leadership. MLB Pipeline ranked the Pirates as having the ninth-best farm system in baseball in August after they were ranked 20th at the same time a year ago.
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