Spencer Horwitz

Spencer Horwitz's Biography

Spencer Elliott Horwitz, an accomplished American baseball professional, presently plays first base and second base for the Toronto Blue Jays, a leading Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Horwitz was born on November 14, 1997, in Timonium, Maryland and is known for his Jewish heritage.

The son of David and Laura Horwitz, Spencer has one brother named Ben. His early education was at St. Paul’s School for Boys in Brooklandville, Maryland. In school, Horwitz excelled in baseball, specifically as a catcher, and received the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) First Team selection title in 2016 and the MIAA All-Conference honors twice. Besides baseball, he showed prowess in hockey, playing as a defenseman, and also contributed significantly to his school winning two state championships.

After St. Paul’s, he then advanced to Radford University where he played college baseball, appearing in 161 games at first base and 6 games in left field. Showing immense promise as a freshman in 2017, he achieved a commendable .311/.384/.481 in 206 at bats. Moreover, he was honored as Second Team of the Big South Conference and was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All American.

His performance in 2018 was equally impressive with a batting score of .288/.386/.443 in 219 at-bats, including 43 RBIs (7th in the Conference) and 34 walks. The summer of 2018 saw him playing collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

In his final year at college, Horwitz batted .268/.392/.465 in 213 at-bats and led the league in various areas such as number of walks and sacrifice flies. He was also in the top ten for runs and home runs scored and was included in the Big South Conference Honorable mention list.

Following his triumphant university baseball career, in 2019, Horwitz was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 24th round of the Major League Baseball draft. He began his MLB journey with a $100,000 signing bonus and played for the Bluefield Blue Jays and the Vancouver Canadians in his inaugural season. His performance in the Rookie League did not go unnoticed, hitting a combined .307/.368/.440 in 248 at-bats and achieving 52 RBIs, 4 home runs, and 5 stolen bases without being caught.

As expected, Horwitz did not play in 2020 due to the global pandemic causing the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season. However, he bounced back in 2021 and played for the Vancouver Canadians and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Despite the year-long break, Horwitz was still in form and bagged .294/.400/.462 in 405 at-bats, hitting 12 home runs and 66 RBIs.

However, his biggest break was in 2023 when after impressive minor league stints, he was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He was added to the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 draft and was transferred to Triple-A Buffalo to begin the 2023 season which saw him named as the Blue Jays’ #14 prospect. During the season, he hit .337(9th in the International League)/.450/.495 with a .945 OPS in 392 at-bats with 78 walks as against 72 strikeouts.

Making his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in mid-2023, Horwitz made his mark by achieving his first MLB hit off of Texas Rangers’ pitcher Jon Gray. Later that year he hit his first major league home run during a match with the Colorado Rockies.

In addition to achieving personal milestones, Horwitz was also part of the Israeli national baseball team that competed in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Managed by former All-Star Ian Kinsler, Team Israel had a strong roster including All-Star outfielder Joc Pederson and starting pitcher Dean Kremer, among others.

By January 2024, Horwitz was ranked #9 on the MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 1B Prospects list before being optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to begin the 2024 season. Despite the ups and downs, one thing is certain – Spencer Horwitz, through exceptional talent, grit and passion, has solidified his place as a dominant force in the realm of Major League Baseball.