Late Bump To Double-A Positions Cubs’ Cade Horton For 2024 Callup
Righthander Cade Horton came into the season with some unknowns despite being drafted seventh overall in 2022.
The Cubs believed in Horton’s potential to shine on the mound after Tommy John surgery limited him to 53.2 innings as a two-way player at Oklahoma. All those innings were thrown in 2022, when he set a College World Series finals record with 13 strikeouts in a single game.
With a limited track record and plenty of upside, the 22-year-old Horton needed to go out and show why the organization valued him so highly.
By the end of this season, he had done just that. Horton began the season with Low-A Myrtle Beach and reached Double-A Tennessee in August, where he continued to shine en route to the Smokies’ Southern League championship.
Horton posted a 2.65 ERA in 21 starts at three levels. He struck out 117 and walked 27 in 88.1 innings.
Horton’s performance firmly puts him on the radar to help the Cubs in 2024.
“Seeing him show up this year and carry as many innings as he had with the kind of stuff that he’s shown consistently has been amazing to see,” Cubs vice president of player development Jared Banner said.
“He works so hard. He’s a real competitor on the mound, and we expect him to continue to get better.”
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was glad Horton was efficient enough to pitch two playoff games for Tennessee without exceeding his workload, calling it “valuable experience to pitch in that environment.”
The Cubs haven’t been afraid to use young starters in Chicago the last two years, whether it has been in the bullpen or as spot starters. They even called up 2021 first-round lefthander Jordan Wicks in September for key starts as Chicago tried to secure a wild card.
Wicks ended 2022 at Tennessee and worked his way to Triple-A Iowa in June to set up his September callup.
It would not be a surprise to see Horton follow a similar path as Wicks’ in 2024.
