Blue Jays prospect watch: Spencer Horwitz tears up Arizona Fall League

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This article was published 04/12/2021 (1729 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Standing on the basepath during a pitching change in an Arizona Fall League game, Spencer Horwitz saw something — or rather someone — in the crowd.

It was Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, Yankees legend and the Blue Jays prospect’s favourite player growing up.

Horwitz, a first baseman, had watched Jeter play so many times and tried to replicate the star shortstop’s throwing motion so many times. Now Jeter was the one watching.

“I was a little star-struck,” Horwitz said. “It takes a lot for me to get like that nowadays, but Derek Jeter’s Derek Jeter.”

It wasn’t the only pinch-me moment for the 24-year-old Horwitz with the AFL champion Mesa Solar Sox, who also featured the Jays’ top prospect, catcher Gabriel Moreno, infielder Leo Jimenez and right-hander Graham Spraker, the Arizona league’s top reliever.

“I was like, ‘Wow, this seems like it’s a real thing,’” Horwitz said. “It still seems so far away, the big leagues, but I know it’s very close. Just playing against some guys who have been there and playing with guys, and talking to them about their experiences, it’s just interesting.”

The big leagues seemed even further away midway through the minor-league regular season. After a hot start with the High-A Vancouver Canadians, Horwitz — drafted in the 24th round by the Jays in 2019 — hit .318 through May, then .223 in June and .202 in July.

“It was definitely frustrating,” he said. “I’m not going to sit here and lie and say that it’s all fun hitting .220 for a month.”

He went to work with hitting coach Ryan Wright, and asked himself two questions: Am I swinging at good pitches? Am I taking good swings at the pitches I should be swinging at?

A good game for Horwitz could be 0-for-4 in the boxscore if the answer to both of those questions was yes. In the end, consistent hard contact represents a better foundation than a couple of bloop singles off bad pitches.

“It’s understanding the game within the game, and it’s always a work in progress,” Horwitz said.

With that mindset, Horwitz reassured himself that he wasn’t far off at the plate. He’d make small adjustments — lowering his hands a fraction, giving his bat a little more of a tilt — and get results: “(It) really freed me up and helped a lot.”

Everything started to click. He hit .364 in August, .375 in September and .375 in 16 games in Arizona — where Horwitz, Moreno and Spraker all appeared in the all-star game.

“The stats don’t say everything. But it’s rewarding knowing that if you do the right things most of the time, that’ll take care of itself,” Horwitz said.

He saw value in those mid-season struggles.

“I remember (in June and July) feeling like, ‘Man, this stinks in this moment,’” he said. “But I was like, ‘I know I’m going to get through this,’ and it just proved to me that I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. Even when this is the worst, I still love it and still want to be out here.

“It was kind of a cool feeling, knowing that I didn’t want to give up, and there’s no place I’d rather be than be on a baseball field.”

Where Horwitz will start next season remains to be seen. He finished the regular season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and his performance in Arizona will earn him a longer look by the organization.

Asked if there’s anything fans in Toronto should know about him, the native of Timonium, Md. described himself as “an average guy who can hit the baseball pretty good.

“People always look at baseball as numbers, and I obviously had a solid year. So, I mean, it’s obviously going to bring more attention, and it definitely build confidence. But I still have to do it next year, and that’s the name of the game is consistency.”

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy