"The Buffalo Boys" brought joy to an otherwise disappointing season for the Blue Jays

By now, "Buffalo Boys" is far from a new term amongst the Toronto Blue Jays and their fan base. Ernie Clement, Spencer Horwitz and Davis Schneider spent the majority of the 2023 season as teammates on the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Each of the trio had outstanding performances down there before eventually becoming teammates at the big league level in the second half of the year.

The legacy of these three friends will forever be one of the brightest spots in an otherwise underwhelming season for these Blue Jays. The youthful spirits and energy brought to the club provided a new "swagger" both on the field and off of it that you could almost visibly see.

With each of these three youngsters, there was a different kind of pressure than the likes of Bo Bichette or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were facing. These prospects weren't established superstars expected to singlehandedly carry the Jays to the postseason. They were there to have fun and gain valuable experience at the big league level.

To say that the performances turned in by Clement, Horwitz and Schneider were a success would be putting it lightly. Injecting the new blood into the locker room gave the Blue Jays a legitimate spark that helped them make it to the playoffs; of that there is little doubt.

As a continuation of our "2023 Blue Jays report cards" series, we're going to take a closer look at The Buffalo Boys and hand out letter grades for each of them. Since none of them played more than half a season in the big leagues, we're going to just lump them all together, which is likely how they'd prefer it anyways.

Ernie Clement

Clement, 27, came over to the Jays with some big league experience under his belt but hadn't previously ran with the opportunities like he did this year. The former 4th-round draft pick (2017) appeared in 103 games for the Cleveland Guardians but hit just .214 with an OPS+ of 56. In a six-game cameo with the Oakland A's last year, he went 1-for-18 (.056) with only a double to his name.

After signing a minor league contract with the Blue Jays just before the regular season kicked off, Clement immediately started hitting. In fact, through the end of the season he never really stopped hitting. In 72 games for the Bisons, he hit 11 home runs with 58 RBI, walked (26) more than he struck out (16) and had a shocking .348 average and .944 OPS. It's no wonder why this guy got some looks in the major leagues.

This translated nicely in The Show as well. In 30 games, Clement hit .380 with 10 RBI, seven runs scored and 19 base hits. He continued to show off an advanced eye at the plate and was the perfect slap-hitter the Blue Jays needed when all it'd take to score a run is a bloop single.

Clement is the type of utility player who has some pop, can steal bases, plays all over the diamond and makes a ton of contact. In other words, he's every manager's dream. His peers reportedly love him as well, which helps his case in a big way. There's no doubt that he'll be back next season.

Handing out a letter grade to Clement is tough, because while he dominated the minor leagues, he didn't get a ton of playing time in the big leagues. Sure, his numbers looked great all around, but a larger sample size would be nice in this instance. Regardless, he did what was asked of him, so there's no complaints here.

Grade: B+

Spencer Horwitz

The 25-year-old Horwitz had an even smaller sample size than Clement in the majors, but he still deserves some love for his contributions.

Horwitz, a former 24th-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2019 MLB Draft, made it into just 15 games to kick off his big league career. He hit ultimately hit .256 with a .726 OPS, numbers that may not exactly jump off the page; but there's more to the story with him.

On June 18, his big league debut, Horwitz went 1-for-2 with a run scored, a run driven in, and two walks. He was only up with the team for a few days before being optioned, but that's one heck of an introduction. When he was recalled again in September, he had a pinch-hit appearance to start things off before going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, his first big league home run, and two runs batted in in his second game back.

From there, the playing time for him was scarce. He rarely ever started games, usually only coming in as either a pinch-hitter or defensive replacement, so it's understandable why his average began to dip. Inconsistent playing time can (and usually does) lead to inconsistent results.

In his second-to-last appearance of the regular season, Horwitz went 1-for-4 with a walk but drove in a career-high three runs. It's games like this one and the game he hit his first home run that show what he's capable of doing. In the minor leagues, Horwitz, like Clement, was an absolute machine. He hit 30 doubles and 10 home runs in 107 games with more walks (78) than strikeouts (72) and a .337 batting average.

Moving forward, Horwitz gives the organization an internal replacement for Brandon Belt, who is likely going to be gone next year. The longtime veteran has dropped hints at a possible retirement coming soon, so his tenure in Toronto is almost certainly a one-and-done.

Grade: B-