4 surprising Blue Jays prospects who will shine at spring training 

Spencer Horwitz (No. 17 Prospect)

After spending four promising seasons in the Jays’ minor league system previously, Spencer Horwitz finally got his chance to shine with the big league club in 2023. Horwitz put together a strong year at Buffalo where he batted a stellar .337 with a .945 OPS, along with 61 runs scored, 30 doubles, 10 home runs, 72 RBI, 9 stolen bases, 78 walks and just 72 strikeouts over 107 games played. His tremendous accomplishments was recognized as it earned him team MVP honours at the end of the season. 

More importantly, his breakout season in Buffalo earned him a 15-game cameo with the Jays last season and he certainly did not look out of place when called upon. Horwitz compiled a .256 batting average with a .726 OPS, 5 runs scored, 1 home run and 7 RBI in his two short stints with the ballclub. He showed that he could make good contact at the major league level and looks primed to join the big show in 2024.

Some will believe that the recent signing of veteran Justin Turner, who likely will be taking on mainly the designated hitter role, will push Horwitz out of a role this upcoming season with the Jays. However, Horwitz is still due for a huge spring for many reasons. First of all, he does not want to spend any more time in the minors and show that he belongs with the big boys. Secondly, as a left-handed power bat, he could potentially complement Turner’s right-handed mashing in a platoon role at DH, as well as provide a solid late-game pinch hitting option off the bench. Finally, if the Jays do decide to keep Turner permanently as the team’s sole designated hitter, then by showcasing himself in spring training, Horwitz can attract potential suitors that can finally give him a starting role in the majors. So he certainly has nothing to lose but to just be at his best this spring.

Yosver Zulueta (No. 14 Prospect)

When it comes to flamethrowing pitching prospect Yosver Zulueta, he endured a roller coaster season last year with Buffalo Bisons. The opportunity presented itself in 2023 for Zulueta to make his major league debut when the Jays ran into some injury troubles with their pitching. However, his trouble in honing his control and command for most of the first half of 2023 ended up keeping him out of the picture when it came to call-ups to the big club.

With the Jays unsure of whether to deploy Zulueta as part of their future rotation or bullpen, they experimented him in both roles when he began the season in Buffalo. In doing so, it might have played a role in leading to his inconsistency as a result. In his first 32 appearances, he pitched to a 4.63 ERA with a horrific 1.76 WHIP, including 39 walks in just 46.2 innings of work. That caused his prospect rankings In the organization to plummet a bit as a result. But one positive coming out of it was the fact that he gave up only 1 home run over that same time frame despite the struggles with his command.

However, he did manage to turn his season around to respectable levels in the final two months of the season, which included a stint in the Florida Complex League to help fix whatever was ailing him in his performance. In August and September, Zulueta compiled a solid 2.60 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, holding opponents to a .167 batting average while striking out 22 in 17.1 innings pitched. Those numbers certainly resembled more the dominant form many were expecting of him.

With Jordan Hicks lost to free agency this offseason, Zulueta represents one of the best internal options available to replace the overpowering flamethrower at the back end of the bullpen. Look for Zulueta to mature in his game and surprise everyone in spring training with his consistency and earn a chance to finally make his debut for the ballclub this season.

Orelvis Martinez (No. 3 Prospect)

Finally, we have one of the Jays’ best positional prospects in the organization in Orelvis Martinez. Martinez had an unorthodox season in 2023 that saw him going from one of the worst hitters in the minors to a huge breakout year in the end.

When he began the season in Double-A New Hampshire, he had a disastrous April in which he hit below .100 while being an “all-or-nothing” player at the plate. Either he was going to be an out, or he would hit a home run in the rare occasions when he connected. Somehow, he managed to turn his season completely around with the right adjustments. In doing so, what was once thought was going to be a tremendous regression year for Martinez became a prosperous one instead. Things progressed so well that he even earned a promotion to Triple-A Buffalo near the end of the season. Overall for his 2023 minor league year, Martinez finished with a decent .243 average and an .835 OPS, along with 70 runs scored, 25 doubles, 28 home runs, 94 RBI and a career-best 67 walks in 125 games played. His bat is no doubt MLB-ready, equipped with huge power and run production potential.

With Turner’s signing, it appears less likely that we will be seeing a Jays’ reunion with Matt Chapman now. That being said, Turner does not appear to be a wise choice to deploy at third base for this coming season, considering his huge regression in defence on the field. Just last season, he committed 3 errors on just 19 chances along with a -3 DRS in just seven games played at the hot corner, and certainly he isn’t getting any younger at age 39. In addition, the proposition of the committee usage of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal at third seems risky, as the Jays would get solid defence, but they would be lucky if the three could even provide half the offensive output that Chapman provided from the position.

As a result, Martinez will be motivated to perform well this spring to convince the Jays he instead could be a viable internal option at the hot corner to help solidly fill the role for the 2024 season. With the Jays needing as many potent bats in the lineup as possible after their struggles in 2023, Martinez’s arrival time in the MLB may actually come sooner than expected.