Under Taillon's wing, Horton eager to bounce back in '25

MESA, Ariz. -- During a rehab stint with Double-A Tennessee last April, Cubs starter Jameson Taillon invited the club's No. 3 prospect Cade Horton out to a dinner. Taillon then kept tabs on Horton throughout the year, checking in with the young pitcher as he navigated a tough season.

The rapport built between the veteran and rookie made things a lot more comfortable for Horton this spring, when he walked into the Cubs’ clubhouse for his first Major League Spring Training. He already had Taillon in his corner, and now the 23-year-old righty is getting a chance to also learn from the other experienced arms in camp.

“It means so much,” Horton said of Taillon serving as a sounding board for him. “It helps bridge that gap, and he’s been a huge part of that. He’s been that guy for me and continues to be, and now I’m getting to know a lot of these other guys. It’s been helpful.”

Taillon understands a lot of the pressure currently on Horton’s shoulders.

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Taillon was the second overall pick of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Pirates. Horton was picked by the Cubs seventh overall in 2022. Taillon’s name was on prospect rankings. Horton is currently No. 52 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list. Taillon has gone through injuries. Horton was limited to nine games due to setbacks in ‘24, slowing his trajectory to The Show.

“I’ve literally been in his shoes before,” Taillon said. “I’ve been considered a top prospect. I’ve also been hurt. I know that feeling of feeling a little alone. And then just coming into a big league locker room, I had guys that, when I was younger, made me feel really welcome. That really goes a long way.”

Taillon rattled off the names of Gerrit Cole, David Freese, Francisco Liriano, Tony Watson, Jared Hughes, Mark Melancon and Ryan Vogelsong as players who helped him when he was getting used to the big leagues with Pittsburgh.

“I had a really excellent group of guys,” Taillon said. “They weren’t all necessarily doing the same thing, or checking in in the same way, but they were guys that made me feel very comfortable and welcome.”

On Sunday morning, Horton took the mound on Field 6 on the backfields at the Cubs’ complex and faced four batters in a live BP session. He recorded one strikeout, induced an infield chopper and had two fly balls. It was a brief, but important appearance for Horton after a turbulent 2024 season.

It had been nine months since he’d faced a hitter.

“First time since May,” Horton said.

Following a stellar 2023 campaign -- one that made his climb to Chicago seem inevitable last summer -- Horton spun a 1.10 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two walks in four starts (16 1/3 innings) in Double-A to open last season. The righty was called up to Triple-A Iowa and then endured a disastrous five-start stint.

Horton posted a 7.50 ERA, walked 11 batters in 18 innings and was then shut down with a Grade 2 strain of a muscle (subscapularis) behind his right shoulder. Horton acknowledged that his delivery was off going into the season, and then the velocity on his fastball dipped. The Cubs gave him the rest of the season to rest, recover and turn the page to 2025.

“We tried to rush it,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said of the mechanical flaws identified last spring. “And we kind of got behind the eight-ball. I think now he better understands what his goals are. And in camp, for us, it’s similar.

“Get the experience. Be around the guys. Be around the Major League staff in more of a daily capacity, and just continue to learn and ask questions.”

Cubs manager Craig Counsell echoed that roadmap for Horton, adding that the main focus for the young pitcher should be on staying healthy, logging innings and seeing where that takes him this year.

“He needs to just pitch and take the ball on his start day,” Counsell said. “And I’m pretty confident that the results will follow after that. Injuries, it’s part of the pitching journey, unfortunately. And he dealt with a bunch of stuff last year. But we feel really confident if he just gets out there on [his] regular turn that a great version of Cade’s going to show up.”

That could land Horton in the Cubs’ clubhouse with Taillon at Wrigley Field.

“All of that is out of my control,” Horton said. “At the same time, I’m here to prove who I am and make my debut this year.”