Top 25 Overall Prospect Moves a Level Away from the Majors

Cade Horton Promoted to Triple-A

Horton, 22, dominated with Double-A Tennessee, allowing two earned runs in 16 1/3 innings with 18 strikeouts and two walks. Horton is known for his four-seam fastball who has an impressive sharp slider and changeup. Cubs assistant general manager, Jared Banner, who was the vice president of player development before his promotion, isn’t surprised by Horton’s success.

“He can be aggressive, but he doesn’t walk people at the same time,” Banner said. “He’s not forcing the case. He’s attacking the zone and getting some quick outs as well. It’s a strong combination when your stuff is good enough to play in and out of the strike zone.”

Cubs Pitching Development is Taking Strong Strides

The exciting news of Horton proves one thing- the Cubs pitching development has taken a huge step forward over the last few seasons. Homegrown pitching talent was hard to come by, but not so much anymore. Justin Steele, Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks and Adbert Alzolay are the names who had success stories in their developments. It surprised many when the Cubs took Horton seventh overall.

Two summers ago, Horton was a two-player out of the University of Oklahoma. He barely pitched for the Sooners as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. However, he did have a dominant run through the College World Series, which caught the eyes of Cubs scouts. So far, Horton has been an outstanding pick. In three levels in 2023, Horton made 21 starts, posting a 2.65 ERA with a 117:27 K:BB ratio in 88 1/3 innings. Horton ended the season at Double-A and remained there to begin this season. In four starts, he posted a 1.10 ERA while striking out 29 percent of batters while walking them at a 3.2 clip rate.

The conversation about Horton coming up this year will be a curious one. He’s got the talent to make an impact on a club that has postseason aspirations.