Horton eyes ‘seat on the plane’ with Cubs

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian's Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The competitor within Cade Horton wanted to find a way to get back on the mound as quickly as possible last season. The people around the Cubs’ top pitching prospect helped him keep the big picture in mind and he knew the right approach was patience.

At Cubs Convention this past weekend, the 23-year-old Horton – ranked as Pipeline’s No. 3 Cubs prospect and the No. 42 on the Top 100 list – had put last season’s injury (a Grade 2 strain of a muscle behind his right shoulder) behind him. He has already resumed light throwing off a mound and is on target for a normal Spring Training.

“That’s the blessing about missing the rest of the year,” said Horton, who focused on recovery and rehab after just nine outings between Double-A and Triple-A across April and May last season. “I’m feeling good and ready to go.”

Selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Horton looked to be on a swift path to the big leagues last season before his injury flared and stalled his campaign.

The right-hander breezed through four starts with Double-A Tennessee (1.65 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 16 1/3 innings) and then got the call to Triple-A Iowa. His five-start stint for the I-Cubs included a 7.50 ERA and 11 walks in 18 innings before being shut down with the injury.

That development came after Horton cruised through Single-A, High-A and Double-A in his first full season in the Cubs’ system in ‘23. That summer, the righty spun a 2.65 ERA with 117 strikeouts against 27 walks in 88 1/3 innings (21 starts). He hoped to build on that showing last season with the big leagues in his sights.

“I’m always a guy that’s wanting to go until I break,” Horton said. “So, [it was important] having those people around me to be like, ‘No, let’s do the smart thing. You have a whole career ahead of you.’ That’s what I really learned is you should say something and get right.”

Given the nature of his ‘24 season, Horton is likely ticketed for Triple-A Iowa to start this year. He will once again have reaching the big leagues as a goal, and the pitcher is open-minded about whether that means helping the rotation or bullpen.

“I’m just wanting to find a seat on the plane and help my team win,” Horton said. “That’s my job at the end of the day -- to go out there and get outs. Whether that be in the bullpen, whether that be starting, it really doesn’t matter to me. I just want to help the Chicago Cubs win. That’s my goal.”