Blue Jays could lean heavily on ever-improving Horwitz at second base

TORONTO -- There’s no joy in looking to the future yet. That day doesn’t come until the worst days are over, and they may not be yet.

It’s easier to see these glimpses on the good days, though, like Tuesday night’s 7-6 win over the Astros at Rogers Centre. Take Spencer Horwitz, who turned on a solo shot. George Springer’s three-run home run that came soon after meant more to the win, but Horwitz has been the pleasant surprise in a season begging for one.

Horwitz’s 377-foot home run came on a gorgeous swing, the exact type the Blue Jays want to see more often from him. The 26-year-old rookie has long had one of the best plate approaches in the organization, his elite eye carrying him to a .433 on-base percentage with Triple-A Buffalo, but his power has trailed behind.

Toronto believes that strength can pull Horwitz’s power along with it, allowing him to take the right risks on pitches he can punish.

Horwitz's ability to play some second base has changed this entire conversation, though. He’s still a work in progress, but has exceeded early expectations. This offensive profile looks so much different when you remove the words “first baseman”, and besides, Horwitz ended the night batting .306 with a .942 OPS.

“When you think of a first baseman, you think of a guy like [Vladimir Guerrero Jr.], who is hitting the ball hard, hitting home runs and driving runs in,” manager John Schneider said. “Spencer can do that, but when you look at the overall quality of his at-bats -- not being in a rush, having a plan every single time -- that’s the impressive part. When you add in some defensive versatility to it, it’s tough to take him out of the lineup.”

It wasn’t always this way, but looking back, Horwitz sees all of the pieces.

Horwitz played shortstop until his junior year of high school, then committed to Radford University, which wanted him as a catcher. That’s where his focus sat until he began to primarily play first base. It wasn’t until mid-season in Triple-A this year that he got an honest crack at playing second base again.

In pro ball, Horwitz had to be humbled. Already facing a steep climb as a 24th-round pick (No. 717 overall) in the 2019 MLB Draft, the next Minor League season was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. So quickly, the ‘21 season was a sink-or-swim year and Horwitz was barely treading water in High-A Vancouver.

“I looked up and it was July. I was hitting .220, .230. I was pretty much a nobody,” Horwitz said. “That was my first big adjustment. I switched my setup and that helped me learn that I’d need to make adjustments along the way. I’ve grown from that. It hasn’t taken a full three or four months now. It’s a week, a video session.”

Horwitz zeroed in on watching left-handed hitters with similar stature and hitting profiles. He watched Michael Brantley, Matt Carpenter, Jeff McNeil and former Blue Jays prospect Ryan Noda. This moment comes for all prospects, when baseball suddenly isn’t the thing that comes easiest to them. It can break ballplayers.

“I’d be lying to say I wasn’t frustrated then. I was frustrated, pissed, sad, all of the above,” Horwitz said. “I just remember one day thinking, 'I’m not going to quit.'”

From July 1 to the end of the 2021 season, Horwitz hit .378 with a 1.107 OPS and earned his promotion to Double-A. He carried that right into the Arizona Fall League, where he starred. He was suddenly a prospect that demanded attention, not just a late-round pick filling out a roster.

Horwitz had to reach back for that same energy this season in Triple-A Buffalo. He didn’t look like himself in Spring Training at times, and with Justin Turner, Daniel Vogelbach and Joey Votto swirling around him, Horwitz was quickly lost in the blur.

“I got a taste of it last year and I had that feeling again in Buffalo this year: ‘I want to get back to the big leagues. I want to get back to the big leagues,’” Horwitz said. “But not much changes. There’s a third deck and the stuff’s a little harder, a little sharper.”

It feels like the game is moving slowly for Horwitz. That’s right where he wants to be.

This season is still piling up on the Blue Jays, even after a win, but the sky can’t fall every day. Horwitz is a rare success story in 2024, and he’s earned a place in conversations that stretch well beyond this season.