Why Cubs Pitcher Cade Horton Was Correctly Selected As Team's Best Rookie In 2025

Coming into the 2025 MLB regular season, there was a lot of hype surrounding Chicago Cubs rookie third baseman Matt Shaw.

He was taking over for Isaac Paredes, who was part of the trade package sent to the Houston Astros to bring right fielder Kyle Tucker to town. The team’s top-ranked prospect and highly regarded in the baseball world, expectations were high. Shaw was one of the favorites to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Alas, things haven’t gone as planned for him. He struggled so much earlier in the year that the Cubs sent him down to Triple-A Iowa for a reset. Upon his return, he caught fire in May with an incredibly productive 11-game stretch. But his performance has cooled considerably since.

From June 1 through Aug. 19, Shaw has a .213/.260/.420 slash line in 61 games and 204 plate appearances. The pop has been impressive, showcasing the power/speed combination that led to him being such a highly regarded prospect with 20 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases.

But the inconsistency has been hard to ignore.

Cade Horton Has Saved Cubs Rotation

That, in large part, is why starting pitcher Cade Horton has been selected by Levi Weaver of The Athletic (subscription required) as the team’s best rookie performer in 2025. He has had his bumps in the road, as any debuting player would. But he has navigated them more successfully than Shaw and has turned into a reliable pitcher for the team.

Chicago was desperate to add starting pitching ahead of the MLB trade deadline to bolster the rotation alongside Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga. The only addition they made was Michael Soroka in a trade with the Washington Nationals. In his first start with the Cubs, he got hurt and was placed on the injured list.

The emergence of Horton has made the lackluster MLB trade deadline performance a lot easier to stomach. He looks like the third postseason starter the team was hoping to land and his arrow is pointing straight up.

Since the calendar has flipped to July, there aren’t many pitchers in the MLB who have performed better. In his last eight starts, Horton has a 1.27 ERA across 42.2 innings pitched with 37 strikeouts.

The only thing that is holding him back is an annoying injury that popped up in his most recent outing. On Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers, he was lifted from the game after 2.2 innings pitched because of a blister. Hopefully, that doesn’t require much of an absence from the mound, and he is confident it won't.

“Yeah, I think I’ll make my next start.”

Cade Horton on his blister on his middle finger. pic.twitter.com/fq7C9CypLu
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 18, 2025

Because, the team cannot afford to lose Horton given the current state of their starting rotation. Even with Jameson Taillon returning, the youngster's presence is incredibly important to the team's success moving forward. He earned the praise as the Cubs' best rookie, but Owen Caissie is certainly going to make a run at that title down the stretch.

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