The 12 Days of Prospects

You can’t help but be a fan of a 24th rounder, a guy who’s always made contact, and is trying to figure out how not to sacrifice too much of that skill for some extra pop.

That guy, of course, is Spencer Horwitz.

Horwitz made some adjustments in 2021 that led to a breakout season, and a record Northwest League hitting streak. He eliminated a bat waggle that messed up with the timing of his barrel. By the middle of that season, he was holding his bat closer to his body while a pitch was on its way, allowing him to drive the ball harder with a quicker stroke. He walked more than he struck out, and carried his success into the Arizona Fall League.

Horwitz’ 2022 was a tale of two seasons. His overall numbers were decent, but there was a marked difference between the first half of his season at AA (.930 OPS), and the second half with Buffalo (.724). Still, the Blue Jays, likely at needing some insurance after dealing Teoscar Hernandez, saw enough to put Horwitz on the 40 man in order to avoid risking losing him in the Rule 5 draft.

I must admit to feeling some ambivalence about Horwitz. On the one hand, I love how he’s learned to drive the ball more without giving up on contact - his K rate did go up this season, although he continued to draw walks at the same rate. On the other hand, Horwitz is limited defensively (they did work on getting him more LF reps - if 20 games constitutes that). And while Horwitz puts balls in play (10% SwStr rate), he tends to do so a) on the ground (46%), and not up the middle (20%). With the new rules eliminating shifts, that may not help his cause. While he has that singular skill of making contact and getting on base, there isn’t a lot of pop - but with more adjustments, who knows? His defensive limitations don’t help, either. He’s more of an intriguing prospect as opposed to a top one.

But Horwitz does see a lot of pitches, and racks up a lot of doubles. His 10 HRs at AA were legit - only 3 were in the cozy RF confines of New Hampshire’s Delta Dental Stadium, where Horwitz launched this porch clearer last year:

Horwitz’ ability to get on base is his main asset, and in perhaps another era (or with another organization) he would be on the cusp of a big league job. It’s a little curious that the club didn’t start to give him more time in Left last season, as well as this past one. You certainly wouldn’t want him learning how to play that position at the big league level, even with the addition of Kevin Kiermaier. For now, he’s a left-handed bat who can DH, spell Vladdy at 1st, and in a pinch play some outfield. One would think he’s in competition perhaps with Cavan Biggio and Addison Barger for a roster spot.

Where does Horwitz sit on a list of prospects? Certainly not in the Top 10 if we’re thinking upside, but he has a unique offensive skill set. If he can put the ball in the air more often without giving up that contact profile, there is a possible big league job for him somewhere.