Cade Horton Tops 97 MPH, Notches 6 Strikeouts in Season Debut
The Cubs have seven prospects on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 list, but only one of them is a pitcher. That would be Cade Horton, a 23-year-old righty from Oklahoma who was actually a quarterback for the Sooners before turning his focus solely to baseball. Horton missed a significant portion of 2024 due to a shoulder injury, only making nine starts before being shut down. He threw in two spring training games and also started the Cubs’ Spring Breakout game, allowing two runs with four strikeouts in five innings.
Former QB Cade Horton getting loose. pic.twitter.com/QJhrlCpuia
— Evan Altman (@DEvanAltman) April 3, 2025
Horton made his first start of the regular season for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs on Thursday, facing the Indianapolis Indians. Central Indiana dealt with severe storms Wednesday night that forced a Thursday doubleheader, with rain pushing back Horton’s start in the late game. The conditions may have led to a lack of command, but he still produced three-plus quality innings.
First punchy on 97 mph. pic.twitter.com/ffeS1Gzomm
— Evan Altman (@DEvanAltman) April 3, 2025
Horton threw 59 pitches total before his night ended with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. He walked four batters, which is tied for the most free passes he’s allowed in his professional career, but he struck out six and generated 14 whiffs. Perhaps the most promising aspect of the outing was that he hit 97.8 mph on the radar gun, showing more velocity than we’ve seen in the past.
One order of half-dozen K's ready!@Cubs right-hander Cade Horton (MLB No. 50) gets his 2025 off to a strong start with six strikeouts and 14 whiffs over 3 1/3 scoreless frames for the @IowaCubs. pic.twitter.com/Rx2AMz5fRJ
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 4, 2025
Horton allowed only one hit and most of his misses were competitive, so it’s reasonable to believe he’ll look even better when he’s not pitching in the aftermath of a tornado. While he doesn’t have a spot on the major league roster right now, he offers a tantalizing option with big velo and a nasty slider. The Cubs are likely going to monitor his workload very closely and it’s possible Horton could debut as a reliever later in the season.
Cade Horton made his 2025 debut in AAA!
Horton missed most of 2024 with injury and he is making up for lost time. His stuff looked excellent as his fastball exhibited more ride and he topped out at 97.8 MPH. The command wasn’t ideal, but everything else looked great! pic.twitter.com/slxWomZmv5
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 4, 2025
