HOLLY SPRINGS – It didn’t take long for Peninsula Pilots alum Spencer Horwitz (picture and video courtesy of Alykhan Ravjiani/Toronto Blue Jays) to prove why he had been called up to join Toronto. Making his Major League debut as the designated hitter on June 18, he quickly recorded his first hit during his first at-bat for the Blue Jays. He would finish the day 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, a run scored and an RBI.

Ranked as the organization’s number 18 prospect per MLB Pipeline in 2023, Horwitz was drafted out of Radford in the 24th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by Toronto. That year, he split time between Rookie level Bluefield and Low-A Vancouver. In a combined 60 games, he batted .307 with a .808 OPS to go with 37 runs scored and 52 RBIs.

Following the pandemic, he started the 2021 season back with Vancouver. He racked up 113 hits in 105 games played for the Canadians en route to a .291 average. Horwitz recorded 28 doubles, one triple and 10 home runs, while scoring 65 runs and driving in 62 RBIs. He spent a brief time with Double-A New Hampshire, swinging .375 in five games before spending the fall with Mesa. While with the Solar Sox, he continued to impress with a .375 average, 14 runs and 12 RBIs.

The next season saw him with Double-A New Hampshire, where he slashed .297/.413/.517 before being promoted to Triple-A Buffalo to close out the year. While with the Bisons, he continued his strength at the plate, batting .246 with 31 runs scored and 12 RBIs through 44 games.

Prior to the start of the 2023 pro schedule, Horwitz joined the Israel National Team during the World Baseball Classic in March. Playing in four contests, he batted .182 with a run scored and one RBI, which came in Israel’s 3-1 win over Nicaragua. From there he rejoined Buffalo and was swinging .300 with 16 doubles, two homers, 27 runs scored and 34 RBIs before getting called up to join the Blue Jays.

Horwitz (pictured right, courtesy of Ralph Wood) spent the 2017 summer in the Coastal Plain League as a member of the Pilots. There, he slashed .250/.360/.303 with action in 26 games – 19 starts. He had 19 hits, including four doubles, 12 runs scored, eight RBIs and 12 walks. He also collected four stolen bases.

With his debut, Horwitz gives the CPL 176 Major Leaguers now all-time and 12 in 2023 alone. He is also the 16th former Peninsula Pilots player to get to The Show.

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 14 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had nearly 1,750 alumni drafted and 176 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.