Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 6: Spencer Horwitz
2 months ago
Another top prospect list, another time Spencer Horwitz ranks sixth.
Just a quick recap of the mid-season list: We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and finally other publications (Prospects Live, MLB Pipeline, Baseball America)’ scouting reports.
Let’s take a look at the first baseman who’s currently in the big leagues.
Getting to know Spencer Horwitz…
Position: First base/Left field
Bats: Left
Born: November 14, 1997
Acquired: 24th round, 2019 draft
Current Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Previous Ranking: 6
This season in Triple-A, Horwitz slashed .337/.450/.495 with 10 homers in 484 plate appearances for a 143 wRC+. It’s also worth noting that he had a higher BB% (16.1%) than K% (14.9%) in his time in Buffalo.
Horwitz being one of the best hitters in the minor leagues earned him a September call-up to the Blue Jays, where he has hit .292/.393/.458 with a homer in 28 plate appearances for a 141 wRC+.
However, it’s not a breakout season for Horwitz, far from it. The 25-year-old has been doing this for years now, as he slashed .290/.401/.446 with 10 homers in 469 plate appearances for a 131 wRC+ with the Vancouver Canadians in 2021. He hit an additional two homers in 16 plate appearances for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, giving him a career-high 12 home runs.
The 2022 season was no different for Horwitz, who slashed .297/.413/.517 with 10 homers in 281 plate appearances for the Fisher Cats (154 wRC+). He earned a call-up to the Bisons where he had his worst season yet (minimum 100 plate appearances) when he slashed .246/.361/.363 with two homers in 202 plate appearances for a 101 wRC+. Although he missed time with injury which could’ve played into his poor performance.
Horwitz is certainly a hit-over-power profile. In fact, I gave him a 70-grade hit tool in my pre-season top 50, which I completely stand by. Why? Well, Horwitz has been one of the most consistent hitters in the minor leagues over the past four seasons. Not only that, but he has a great eye at the plate, rarely strikes out, and makes a ton of contact. This allows him to hit the ball all over the field, racking up a .302 career minor league batting average and a .407 career on-base percentage.
There are definitely some aspects of his game to be desired, such as not hitting for a ton of power, despite playing first base. Not only that, but Horwitz isn’t a great defender at first base or left field, and he isn’t particularly fast either.
With that being said, despite his great hit tool, he’ll need to tap into some more of that raw power to get consistent at-bats on a contending team. He has all the makings of a great hitter, though.
Next up…
Sticking with left-handed hitters, we’ll look at one who has been on the up and up over the past few months!
In case you missed it…
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 50: Garrett Spain
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 49: Connor Cooke
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 48: Michael Dominguez
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 47: Alejandro Melean
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 46: Trenton Wallace
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 45: Brennan Orf
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 44: Robert Robertis
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 43: Sam Shaw
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 42: Rafael Lantigua
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 41: Yhoangel Aponte
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 40: Nick Goodwin
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 39: Irv Carter
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 38: Jimmy Robbins
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 37: Otto López
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 36: Peyton Williams
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 35: Trent Palmer
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 34: C.J. Van Eyk
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 33: Dasan Brown
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 32: Tanner Morris
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 31: Connor O’Halloran
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 30: Kendry Rojas
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 29: Zach Britton
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 28: Adrian Pinto
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 27: Rainer Nuñez
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 26: Hagen Danner
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 25: Hayden Juenger
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 24: Manuel Beltre
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 23: Chad Dallas
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 22: Josh Kasevich
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 21: Adam Macko
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 20: Yosver Zulueta
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 19: Jace Bohrofen
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 18: Cade Doughty
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 17: Enmanuel Bonilla
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 16: Alex De Jesus
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 15: Gabriel Martinez
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 14: Dahian Santos
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 13: Landen Maroudis
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 12: Alan Roden
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 11: Juaron Watts-Brown
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 10: Tucker Toman
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 9: Damiano Palmegiani
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 8: Leo Jimenez
- Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 7: Brandon Barriera
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.
ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO
Recent articles from Brennan Delaney
