Cade Horton

Cade Horton

23-Year-Old PitcherSP
Chicago Cubs
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Seemingly everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Horton in 2024, and he went from one of the top pitching prospects in the game to a high-risk flyer in dynasty leagues. There were red flags from the jump, with Horton surprisingly not getting assigned to big-league spring training, and then curiously getting sent back to Double-A to start the year, rather than Triple-A. Once he got the bump to Triple-A at the end of April and we could track his starts on Statcast, it became clear that Horton was sitting 93 mph and touching 95 mph with his fastball after sitting at 95-97 mph in 2023 (touching 98 mph). Unsurprisingly, he was shut down with a shoulder strain at the end of May, and he never returned following an August setback. Horton had Tommy John surgery while at Oklahoma and his 88.1 innings in 2023 were a career high, so when factoring in his 2024 shoulder injury, the durability risk is off the charts. His slider is good enough that he could still end up being a closer or a 120-140 inning per year starter, but it makes more sense to hold or cash out this offseason than to buy in dynasty leagues. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#391
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Cubs in May of 2025.
Fans season-high six in no-decision
PChicago Cubs
May 27, 2025
Horton didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Rockies after allowing two runs on four hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out six.
ANALYSIS
Horton set a season high in punchouts as well as innings pitched, also recording his first quality start of the year. Through the first four starts of his major-league career, the rookie right-hander owns a serviceable 3.98 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB covering 20.1 frames. Horton has drawn some favorable matchups in the early going, having faced the White Sox, Marlins and Rockies in three of his outings, and he's lined up to see another fairly unimposing assignment against the Nationals in his next scheduled appearance.
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Pitching Stats
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2025
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
83
Last 10 Games
83
Last 5 Games
83
How many pitches does Cade Horton generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Cade Horton generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-11%
BAA vs RHP
2025
 
 
-11%
BAA vs RHP
2024
No Stats
2023
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2023vs Left .282 40 9 1 11 1 0 1
Since 2023vs Right .250 46 7 3 10 0 0 3
2025vs Left .282 40 9 1 11 1 0 1
2025vs Right .250 46 7 3 10 0 0 3
2024vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-6%
ERA on Road
2025
 
 
-6%
ERA on Road
2024
No Stats
2023
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2023Home 4.09 1.09 11.0 1 0 0 6.5 0.8 2.5
Since 2023Away 3.86 1.39 9.1 1 0 0 7.7 2.9 1.0
2025Home 4.09 1.09 11.0 1 0 0 6.5 0.8 2.5
2025Away 3.86 1.39 9.1 1 0 0 7.7 2.9 1.0
2024Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Cade Horton compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
4.00
 
K/9
7.1
 
BB/9
1.8
 
HR/9
1.8
 
Fastball
95.5 mph
 
ERA
3.98
 
WHIP
1.23
 
BABIP
.291
 
GB/FB
1.16
 
Left On Base
82.5%
 
Exit Velocity
83.8 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
7.0%
 
Spin Rate
2503 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
29.1%
 
Swinging Strike
11.8%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
Assuming Horton, who had Tommy John surgery in 2021 while at Oklahoma, stayed healthy and showed similar stuff to what he displayed in the 2022 College World Series, he figured to rank as one of the game's top pitching prospects after his first full season, and that's exactly where things stand. The 6-foot-1 righty boasts a mid-90s fastball that regularly touches 98 mph. He also has one of the best sliders in the minors -- a high-spin mid-80s offering. He throws a changeup and curveball, but he doesn't need those pitches much to dominate when he's locating his fastball. Horton tallied 88.1 innings in 21 starts across Single-A, High-A and Double-A. He spent over half the season at High-A, where he had three blowup starts and still managed a 1.00 WHIP and 3.83 ERA. Horton had a seven-start stretch to close the year where he had a 1.16 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in 31 innings. He also had a six-start run in the first half at High-A where he had a 1.30 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP with 46 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. We're still waiting to see if he can handle a big-league starter's workload, but Horton has the stuff to dominate at the highest level. Last year, we saw many teams push upper-level pitchers of Horton's caliber to the big leagues quicker than in past years, so a first-half MLB debut could happen for Horton.
A draft-eligible sophomore from Oklahoma who had Tommy John surgery in 2021, Horton increased his draft stock with a dominant performance in the College World Series, showcasing a deadly repertoire of hard, high-spin offerings. A former two-way talent and two-sport athlete (he also played quarterback), Horton's future is now squarely on the mound after his exploits for the Sooners in the postseason, including 40 strikeouts in his final four starts. The Cubs snagged him with the seventh overall pick and gave him $4.45 million (under slot). The 6-foot-1, 211-pound righty has a prototypical four-seamer that touches 98 mph and darts away from barrels. His mid-80s slider (touches 90 mph) might be his best pitch, as he can land it for strikes or get ugly swings when he buries it in the dirt. His curveball and changeup need further development, and he threw only 53.2 innings in college, which adds some uncertainty regarding his ability to handle a starter's workload. However, the fact he is healthy and finished strong against the best teams in the country makes him an appealing high-upside option in a muddled pitching class. He will make his pro debut in 2023.
More Fantasy News
Stingy in no-decision
PChicago Cubs
May 21, 2025
Horton came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Marlins, allowing one run on six hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out three.
ANALYSIS
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Comfortably earns second win
PChicago Cubs
May 17, 2025
Horton (2-0) collected the win in Friday's 13-3 victory over the White Sox after giving up three earned runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out two batters in five innings.
ANALYSIS
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Handling starting role Friday
PChicago Cubs
May 15, 2025
Horton is scheduled to start Friday's game against the White Sox at Wrigley Field, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Earns win in big-league debut
PChicago Cubs
May 10, 2025
Horton (1-0) nabbed the win over the Mets on Saturday, allowing three runs on four hits and no walks while striking out five batters over four innings.
ANALYSIS
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Officially promoted
PChicago Cubs
May 10, 2025
The Cubs selected Horton's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
MLB debut on horizon
PChicago Cubs
September 4, 2023
It would be a "surprise if the Cubs don't promote Cade Horton to the majors this year," in the eyes of Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
ANALYSIS
Horton has yet to graduate beyond Double-A, but his results thus far have been dominant. The 22-year-old owns a 1.56 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through five starts -- comparable to his 3.82 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through 11 Single-A starts prior. The No.7 overall pick from the 2022 Draft is showcasing notable command and 12.2 K/9 stuff.
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