Ranking all of the Blue Jays’ rookie debuts in 2023 (so far)

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So far in 2023, we have seen a fair share of Toronto Blue Jays prospects making their rookie debuts this year as a result of roster management and injuries that occurred during the season. Some of them have had negligible impact thus far, whereas others have prospered somewhat after reaching the major leagues for the first time in their careers.

In this review, we will rank the impact these rookies have had on the Jays thus far in 2023, and what their potential could be with the ballclub in the long run.

Honourable Mention

Among the distinguished group of rookies, unfortunately the debut of pitching prospect Hagen Danner turned out to be a devastating one. After working hard and producing great results in the past couple years ascending the Jays’ minor league system, Danner finally got his opportunity to shine on the biggest stage when he was called up from Buffalo back in early August. In a game against the Chicago Cubs on August 11th, he finally made his first ever MLB appearance in the 9th inning with the Jays trailing 6-2.

However, disaster struck for the 24-year-old as he would end up leaving the game after recording just one out due to a left oblique strain. He was essentially placed on the IL the very next day, and to make matters worse, it has developed into a season-ending injury for the rookie pitcher. Prior to making his major league debut, he was having a strong season in the minors, posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, giving up only 16 earned runs, 11 walks and a whopping 56 strikeouts in just 39.1 innings of work. As one of the organization’s top pitching prospects, he was expected to excel out of the bullpen once he reached the big leagues, but that now will unfortunately have to wait until next year to see if he could finally fulfill his potential.

#4 Mason McCoy

Acquired from the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline in exchange for pitcher Trent Thornton, Mason McCoy was an under-the-radar pickup by the Jays, as they added infield depth to the organization. He has the unique combination of power, speed, and steady defence in his game as just last season, he popped 21 home runs and 63 RBI along with 22 stolen bases with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate Tacoma Rainiers.

It was expected that McCoy would play out the season at Buffalo, but with the Jays running into an array of injuries as of late, they were forced to bring up an infielder to help replace the loss of both Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman. Surprisingly, it was McCoy who ended up getting the call, whereas many of the Jays’ faithful were expecting the likes of top promising prospects Orelvis Martinez and Addison Barger.

Nevertheless, McCoy has made the most of his opportunity, but has been mainly used as a pinch runner and/or defensive replacement late in games so far. In five games, he has scored two runs, along with going 0-for-1 at the plate with one strikeout. In the field, he has had one play so far, helping turn a double play in six innings of playing time. The sample size is definitely quite small to determine what sort of an impact he could have with the Jays for the rest of this season. But for now, he appears perfect in the role he has played so far and could eventually help the Jays to a key win or two down the stretch before healthy bodies start returning to the lineup.

#3 Nathan Lukes

For Nathan Lukes, let’s just say it was the best of times, and at the same time, it was the worst of times. Back in Spring Training, when he beat out some tight competition to grab the last spot on the Jays’ Opening Day roster, he certainly believed that he was finally getting his chance to play in the big leagues for good. After all, he had spent the previous eight seasons in the minor leagues, working diligently day in and day out, just hoping one day he would earn a promotion to the highest level. Well, his dream finally came true in 2023 as he was with the big boys to start the season.

However, once the season commenced, Lukes would find himself struggling to get valuable playing time, as he was used mainly as a pinch runner and/or defensive replacement, similar to the role McCoy has been playing right now. Once the Jays grabbed Jordan Luplow off waivers from the Atlanta Braves in early April, he eventually replaced Lukes on the MLB roster. Nevertheless, Lukes would get his chance once again when Luplow was sent down to the minors in late April, but similar to his first stint with the ballclub, he would see limited playing time again.

This trend would remain for pretty much the rest of the season, as Lukes would yo-yo between the majors and minors based on roster management. In total, he managed to appear in 28 games at the major league level, going 5-for-25 with four runs scored, one double, one triple and two RBI. Defensively, he was spotless in the outfield, in addition to registering one outfield assist in over 64 innings of work. He has continued to shine during his other times in the minors, as he has been raking all year, hitting .348 with a .956 OPS, 29 runs scored, 13 doubles, five home runs and 28 RBI. So if he was given more of a chance with the Jays, he probably would have provided a much greater impact than he did. But with the presence of both Whit Merrifield and more recently Cavan Biggio, the need for an extra outfielder was no longer needed, at least for this year. So the chances of seeing Lukes again with the Jays this year will probably be slim to none, so he will have to work hard once again to compete for a spot in the upcoming season.

#2 Spencer Horwitz

Spencer Horwitz has always been a consistently good, contact hitter coming up from the Jays’ minor league system. In his four seasons in the minors, Horwitz has hit a solid .303 with an .871 OPS, with 243 runs scored, 112 doubles, 38 home runs, 241 RBI, 245 walks and 265 strikeouts in 391 games played. His ability to see the ball well and make solid contact has been his strongest asset in his offensive repertoire.

Earlier this year, Horwitz had a cameo with the Jays when he made his major league debut in June. In three games, he went 2-for-10 with one run scored, one RBI and two walks. He would then be sent back to Buffalo for the rest of the summer, until his recent callup for the September stretch run. Since being recalled, he has provided some much-needed offence for the Jays in recent games.

Overall, he is batting .353 with a strong 1.064 OPS, three runs scored, one double, one home run, four RBI, three walks and five strikeouts. It appears as though his hitting prowess has certainly carried over from his successful minor league season right into the majors, and this bodes well for him with regards to more playing time down the stretch. Overall, he is probably the most consistent and reliable pure hitter among the group of rookies, which could play well when the going gets tougher near the end of the season. Also, depending on the decision of Brandon Belt at the end of the season, Horwitz could potentially be the team’s successor at the DH spot going forward.

#1 Davis Schneider

This list certainly isn’t complete without the one and only Davis “Babe” Schneider. In just his short tenure so far with the Jays, he has already provided the ballclub with the offensive boost that they sorely needed, along with being a part of history in the process. No one will ever forget the debut weekend he had against the Boston Red Sox, in which he went 9-for-13 with three runs scored, two home runs and five RBI in helping the Jays to a sweep over their divisional rivals.

Since then, he had undergone an adjustment period, as opposing pitchers had begun to figure him out and countered his hitting approach effectively in the following games. However, Schneider himself then made the right adjustments and was now back and producing once again for the Jays down the stretch.

In total, Schneider has compiled an unbelievable .390 batting average, 1.337 OPS, with 16 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, six home runs, 17 RBI, 12 walks, 19 strikeouts and even a stolen base to boot in just 18 games played. As a result, he has been by far the most effective and most productive rookie to debut for the Jays in 2023. At the rate he is going, it will be hard for him not to make the team’s Opening Day roster for 2024, as the Jays haven’t had such a game-changing, prolific hitter come up from their system since the days of Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The only difference being that people expected both Bichette and Guerrero to do what they have been doing, but no one expected the surprise offensive output provided by “Babe” Schneider for sure. After all, he was selected way back in the 28th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

If the Jays can unearth more diamonds in the rough in the future just like Schneider, the team will definitely have many more sustainable and successful years ahead of them. But for now, we can all truly appreciate the work the rookies have done so far in helping keep the Jays in the playoff hunt for 2023.

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