Superstar Chicago Cubs Pitching Prospect 'Looks Completely Different' This Season

Heading into last season, there were many who thought the Chicago Cubs might look to call-up their star pitching prospect Cade Horton to make him a featured part of the rotation.

It was easy to understand why.

After being taken in the first round of the 2022 draft, he seemed like the next candidate for rapid ascension based on the 2.65 ERA he produced in 21 starts during the 2023 campaign, reaching Double-A to finish that year with a 1.33 ERA in his six starts at that level.

Horton look poised to make his big league debut at some point last season, whether that was towards the beginning of the year or later as a September promotion.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way for either party.

After four starts at Double-A Tennessee where Horton produced a 1.10 ERA, he was sent to Triple-A Iowa for what was expected to be his final preperation before reaching The Show.

But that's where things went off the rails.

Horton's ERA inflated to 7.50 across his five starts that made it seem obvious something was affecting him. He was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of the muscle behind his right shoulder and was later transferred from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day one in late-July, ending his season after only nine total outings.

The talented prospect is reminding everyone of his high-end potential this year, though.

In four starts at the time of writing, he's posted a 1.06 ERA with Triple-A Iowa, striking out 23 batters across 17 innings pitched. His walks still need to be managed with 11 thus far, but he is showing his top-end stuff.

Horton has also caught the eye of fellow pitcher Jordan Wicks.

"He looks completely different," he said, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "It's electric."

That is a great sign for the Cubs.

After losing Justin Steele for the season due to elbow surgery that is expected to keep him out for a chunk of next year, as well, this team will need as many pitchers as possible to keep them afloat during a campaign that is starting to look like it could be special.

However, Chicago won't rush Horton to the bigs.

"The best thing that's happening with Cade right now is he's taking the ball every six days. Just keep taking the ball. Keep developing. Keep improving. And we'll see where that gets us sometime in the middle of the summer. I think Cade needs to pitch," manager Craig Counsell stated.

How the star prospect continues to look at Triple-A will be something to monitor. But after a concerning injury that affected him in 2024, Horton looks to be back to his old self so far.

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