MESA, Ariz. – A small crowd climbed into the backfield bleachers Sunday to watch Cubs top pitching prospect Cade Horton throw to hitters Sunday for the first time since last May.
“My goal was to go out there and just attack hitters and kind of get my groove back on,” he said after throwing an inning of live batting practice. “And so I feel like I accomplished that.”
Horton is working back from a subscapularis strain that wiped out most of his 2024 season. He was expected to make his major-league debut last year, earning a promotion to Triple-A in late April. The injury pushed back his timeline, but he’s still focused on the same target.
“I’m here to prove who I am and make my debut this year,” he said.
The Cubs also want to make sure they don’t repeat missteps from last spring.
“We fell into a trap early last year, where he had a great ‘23, some mechanical issues we saw in spring training in ‘24, but we tried to rush it because he wanted to get ready for that season,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “And then we kind of got behind the eight ball.”
In 2023, Horton’s first professional season after being drafted in the first round out of the University of Oklahoma the year before, Horton climbed two levels, from Single-A to Double-A, where he posted a 1.33 ERA. But the next spring, his throwing motion was a little more tense and lacked some of its usual athleticism.
That started showing up in the box score in Triple-A. In his second start for the I-Cubs, Horton allowed six runs in three innings. Three starts later, he exited injured. Horton owned a 7.50 ERA in five Triple-A starts.
Later, a setback in his rehab wiped out the possibility of him returning late in the season. So, Horton never got to fix his mechanics and test the adjustment against hitters.
He’s finally getting that opportunity this spring.
“When I was at Oklahoma, I was taking ground balls and doing all those things and just throwing like a position player, and then I’d go up and pitch,” Horton said. “And so I think I got away from those things and started to become a ‘pitcher.’ And so just trying to get back to being athletic and moving my feet and just little things like that.”
That includes things as simple as taking a three step drop like a quarterback while playing catch.
“We can make pitching super-complicated,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Everybody – the industry and the information and the training facilities of the world can make it super-complicated. It really doesn’t need to be super-complicated for Cade. He’s the athletic mover that has really good pitch qualities. Just go do that. The learning will happen through the experience.”
Some of the attention on Horton has eased up. He moved down MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, from No. 26 this time last year to No. 52 now. But Horton said he doesn’t care about prospect status.
“Your performance is going to speak louder than any ranking or anything like that,” Horton said. “And so you have to go out there and pitch. It doesn’t matter if you’re the No. 1 prospect overall, you’ve still got to go out there and perform.”
The Cubs aren’t putting stock into it either.
“He needs to just pitch and take the ball on this on his start day,” Counsell said, “and pretty confident that the results will follow after that.”
When that happens, in all likelihood, he’ll put himself on the radar for another promotion.
Cubs 6, Rangers 5
Kyle Tucker made his Cubs spring training debut Sunday, batting second and serving as the designated hitter. He went 0-for-3. But the top of the Cubs’ batting order looked like something manager Craig Counsell might write up in-season, with Happ leading off, Tucker batting second and Seiya Suzuki in the No. 3 spot.
- Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-3 and showed off his speed on a double. He led the team in hits Sunday.
- The Cubs rallied in the late innings to come back from a five-run deficit and maintain their undefeated Cactus League record through four games.
- On deck: Cubs at Padres, 2:10 p.m. Monday, Peoria, Matthew Boyd vs. Randy Vázquez.