Spencer Horwitz Stats & Scouting Report

AB	237
AVG	.257
OBP	.351
SLG	.418
HR	8

Full name Spencer Elliott Horwitz
Born 11/14/1997 in Timonium, MD
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Radford
Drafted in the 24th round (717th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019 (signed for $100,000).

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 40/Medium

Track Record: Horwitz has been one of the Blue Jays’ most productive minor leaguers over the last three seasons. After hitting .290/.390/.453 in 2022 across Double-A and Triple-A, Horwitz was added to Toronto’s 40-man roster. He returned to Triple-A Buffalo to begin 2023 and earned his first big league callup on June 16. He played in three games before being optioned back to Buffalo. Horwitz returned to Toronto in early September and appeared in 12 games. Horwitz, the grandson of Mets media relations director Jay Horwitz, was a member of Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Scouting Report: Horwitz is a classic bat-first prospect, with major league-caliber hitting skills but a lack of defensive value. He is an above-average contact hitter with advanced approach and on-base skills. He has good adjustability in his barrel and hits a variety of pitch types. Horwitz possesses average raw power, but his lack of elevation on contact limits his home run production. Horwitz is a 30-grade runner who is station-to-station on the bases. He’s below-average at first base and has an average arm.

The Future: Horwitz is a ready-made bench bat with a chance to be a second-division regular.

Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Field: 40 | Arm: 50
BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium

Track Record: Signed out of Radford for $100,000 in the 24th round of the 2019 draft, all Horwitz has done is hit for the better part of two seasons coming off the pandemic. He hit .294/.400/.462 between High-A and Double-A in 2021 and followed that up with a strong Arizona Fall League performance where he hit.375/.460/.484 over 16 games. Assigned back to Double-A New Hampshire to begin 2022, Horwitz hit .297/.413/.517 over 70 games with the Fishercats before he was promoted to Triple-A in early July. Horwitz was added to the Blue Jays 40-man roster in November of 2022.

Scouting Report: A bat-first prospect with some of the most well-rounded plate skills in the Blue Jays system, Horwitz flashes a strong lefthanded swing that allows him to make hard contact at a high rate. His bat-to-ball skills are average but his plate discipline is elite, as he rarely expands the zone, and works deep into at-bats. While his swing isn't naturally geared for power, he's added loft over the last few seasons which has allowed him to get to more of his above-average raw power. Horwitz is a culmination of good hitter traits that allow his profile to work. He's a well below-average runner, and defensively is best used at first base. He's played some outfield corner but he's very limited in the role due to a lack of range.

The Future: If Horwitz continues to improve as a power hitter without sacrificing his approach, he has a chance to carve out a role as a 1B/DH on the strong side of a platoon.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 50. Run: 30. Field: 40. Arm: 50
Track Record: After signing for $100,000 as a 24th-round pick in 2019, Horwitz emerged as a legitimate prospect in 2021, showing a disciplined approach with in-season swing adjustments that helped him tap into more power. He continued to perform well after the season in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .375/.459/.484 in 74 plate appearances.

Scouting Report: Horwitz has excellent plate discipline. He walked more than he struck out, consistently making good swing decisions. Horwitz never hit for big power in college, but he generated more impact after tweaking his setup during the 2021 season. Horwitz had a bat waggle that didn’t allow him to get into a consistently good hitting position, with his hands often getting out away from his body when he started his swing. By midseason, Horwitz held his hands tighter to his body before starting his swing. The result was a quicker stroke that allowed him to drive the ball harder and with loft to his pull side. His average exit velocities jumped, and he went from a peak exit velo of 106 mph before the change to reaching 110 mph after. Defensively, Horwitz is below-average at first base with limited speed and mobility. The Blue Jays gave him more exposure to left field in the Arizona Fall League, but his offensive game will have to carry him.

The Future: Whether Horwitz will hit for enough power to be a regular at first base is still a question, so how he does at Double-A in 2022 will reveal a lot about how his game translates against upper-level arms.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium

Track Record: Signed out of Radford for $100,000 in the 24th round of the 2019 draft, all Horwitz has done is hit for the better part of two seasons coming off the pandemic. He hit .294/.400/.462 between High-A and Double-A in 2021 and followed that up with a strong Arizona Fall League performance where he hit.375/.460/.484 over 16 games. Assigned back to Double-A New Hampshire to begin 2022, Horwitz hit .297/.413/.517 over 70 games with the Fishercats before he was promoted to Triple-A in early July. Horwitz was added to the Blue Jays 40-man roster in November of 2022.

Scouting Report: A bat-first prospect with some of the most well-rounded plate skills in the Blue Jays system, Horwitz flashes a strong lefthanded swing that allows him to make hard contact at a high rate. His bat-to-ball skills are average but his plate discipline is elite, as he rarely expands the zone, and works deep into at-bats. While his swing isn't naturally geared for power, he's added loft over the last few seasons which has allowed him to get to more of his above-average raw power. Horwitz is a culmination of good hitter traits that allow his profile to work. He's a well below-average runner, and defensively is best used at first base. He's played some outfield corner but he's very limited in the role due to a lack of range.

The Future: If Horwitz continues to improve as a power hitter without sacrificing his approach, he has a chance to carve out a role as a 1B/DH on the strong side of a platoon.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 50. Run: 30. Field: 40. Arm: 50
BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium

Track Record: Signed out of Radford for $100,000 in the 24th round of the 2019 draft, all Horwitz has done is hit for the better part of two seasons coming off the pandemic. He hit .294/.400/.462 between High-A and Double-A in 2021 and followed that up with a strong Arizona Fall League performance where he hit.375/.460/.484 over 16 games. Assigned back to Double-A New Hampshire to begin 2022, Horwitz hit .297/.413/.517 over 70 games with the Fishercats before he was promoted to Triple-A in early July. Horwitz was added to the Blue Jays 40-man roster in November of 2022.

Scouting Report: A bat-first prospect with some of the most well-rounded plate skills in the Blue Jays system, Horwitz flashes a strong lefthanded swing that allows him to make hard contact at a high rate. His bat-to-ball skills are average but his plate discipline is elite, as he rarely expands the zone, and works deep into at-bats. While his swing isn't naturally geared for power, he's added loft over the last few seasons which has allowed him to get to more of his above-average raw power. Horwitz is a culmination of good hitter traits that allow his profile to work. He's a well below-average runner, and defensively is best used at first base. He's played some outfield corner but he's very limited in the role due to a lack of range.

The Future: If Horwitz continues to improve as a power hitter without sacrificing his approach, he has a chance to carve out a role as a 1B/DH on the strong side of a platoon.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 50. Run: 30. Field: 40. Arm: 50
BA Grade: 45/High

Track Record: After signing for $100,000 as a 24th-round pick in 2019, Horwitz emerged as a legitimate prospect in 2021, showing a disciplined approach with in-season swing adjustments that helped him tap into more power. He continued to perform well after the season in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .375/.459/.484 in 74 plate appearances.

Scouting Report: Horwitz has excellent plate discipline. He walked more than he struck out, consistently making good swing decisions. Horwitz never hit for big power in college, but he generated more impact after tweaking his setup during the 2021 season. Horwitz had a bat waggle that didn&#39t allow him to get into a consistently good hitting position, with his hands often getting out away from his body when he started his swing. By midseason, Horwitz held his hands tighter to his body before starting his swing. The result was a quicker stroke that allowed him to drive the ball harder and with loft to his pull side. His average exit velocities jumped, and he went from a peak exit velo of 106 mph before the change to reaching 110 mph after. Defensively, Horwitz is below-average at first base with limited speed and mobility. The Blue Jays gave him more exposure to left field in the Arizona Fall League, but his offensive game will have to carry him.

The Future: Whether Horwitz will hit for enough power to be a regular at first base is still a question, so how he does at Double-A in 2022 will reveal a lot about how his game translates against upper-level arms.
Track Record: After signing for $100,000 as a 24th-round pick in 2019, Horwitz emerged as a legitimate prospect in 2021, showing a disciplined approach with in-season swing adjustments that helped him tap into more power. He continued to perform well after the season in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .375/.459/.484 in 74 plate appearances.

Scouting Report: Horwitz has excellent plate discipline. He walked more than he struck out, consistently making good swing decisions. Horwitz never hit for big power in college, but he generated more impact after tweaking his setup during the 2021 season. Horwitz had a bat waggle that didn’t allow him to get into a consistently good hitting position, with his hands often getting out away from his body when he started his swing. By midseason, Horwitz held his hands tighter to his body before starting his swing. The result was a quicker stroke that allowed him to drive the ball harder and with loft to his pull side. His average exit velocities jumped, and he went from a peak exit velo of 106 mph before the change to reaching 110 mph after. Defensively, Horwitz is below-average at first base with limited speed and mobility. The Blue Jays gave him more exposure to left field in the Arizona Fall League, but his offensive game will have to carry him.

The Future: Whether Horwitz will hit for enough power to be a regular at first base is still a question, so how he does at Double-A in 2022 will reveal a lot about how his game translates against upper-level arms.