Cade Horton

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #2 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/High.
  
  Track Record: A standout two-sport athlete in high school, Horton committed to Oklahoma to play both baseball and football. Horton had Tommy John surgery and redshirted his freshman year in 2021. Upon return, Horton quit football and focused on easing into the Sooners’ rotation in 2022. He eventually became staff ace en route to Oklahoma’s run to the College World Series. The Cubs drafted Horton seventh overall in 2022 and signed him for a below-slot $4.45 million. During his pro debut in 2023, Horton solidified himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the game. After four dominant turns with Double-A Tennessee to begin 2024, Horton was promoted to Triple-A Iowa on May 4. He struggled through five starts before hitting the injured list with a right lat strain in June. After re-aggravating the injury during rehab, Horton was shut down in early August.
  
  Scouting Report: Horton’s right lat injury likely impacted his 2024 results, because the difference in pitch quality compared to 2023 was stark. The regression on his fastball shape and velocity were notable. Horton lost around two inches of ride on his fastball and saw its velocity dip by 1.5 mph to around 94, leading to a much straighter approach angle than seen in 2023. Horton’s slider remained effective. He gained velocity on the pitch, trading some sweep to achieve it. It sat 85-87 mph and had nearly identical performance metrics to the 2023 version. Horton’s changeup is a clear third pitch. It was used around 10% of the time in 2024 and is a hit-or-miss offering due to Horton’s poor command of it. He shows above-average command of his slider, and the results back that.
  
  The Future: A healthy Horton has a chance to debut as a starter for the Cubs in 2025. If unsuccessful in that role, he has a floor as a quality high-leverage reliever.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #2 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 60/High
  
  Track Record: A star quarterback and pitcher in high school, Horton committed to Oklahoma to play both football and baseball but dropped football after having Tommy John surgery as a freshman. He returned to the diamond as a draft-eligible sophomore and, after shaking off some early rust, led the Sooners to the College World Series finals as their top starter. He struck out a CWS finals-record 13 batters against Mississippi, leading the Cubs to draft him seventh overall and sign him for a below-slot $4.45 million. Horton didn’t pitch after signing, but he debuted in style in 2023. He rose three levels to Double-A and dominated at every stop, finishing first in the Cubs system in ERA (2.65), WHIP (1.00) and opponent average (.190) and second in strikeouts (117).
  
  Scouting Report: Horton is an athletic, physical righthander with power stuff. His plus fastball sits 94-96 mph and touches 98 with natural cut and ride out of an easy, repeatable delivery. His primary secondary is a plus, vertical slider at 84-86 mph with hard depth that gets swings and misses both in and out of the strike zone. Horton mostly dominates with his fastball and slider, but his low-80s curveball with good depth is an average third pitch and his sinking, mid-80s changeup progressed to average after he cut 4-5 mph off it. His delivery is a bit stiff at times, but he throws strikes with average control and has the strength to maintain his stuff and command. He has yet to fully stretch out after surgery and hasn’t thrown more than 100 innings in a season.
  
  The Future: Horton has the stuff to be a No. 2 or 3 starter but has to prove he can handle a heavier workload. He’ll aim to build durability in 2024 and has a chance to make his major league debut before midseason 2024.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #5 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Very High
  
  Track Record: A standout quarterback and All-America pitcher in high school, Horton committed to Oklahoma to play both football and baseball but had Tommy John surgery as a freshman and dropped football. He began 2022 as the Sooners' starting third baseman while he eased his way back onto the mound and struggled early in his return to pitching, but he clicked at the end of the year to rocket up draft boards. Horton carried Oklahoma to the College World Series finals with a 2.81 ERA over four postseason starts and set a CWS finals record with 13 strikeouts against Mississippi. The Cubs drafted him seventh overall one month later and signed him for a below-slot $4.45 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Horton is a strong, athletic righthander with a power arsenal that overwhelms hitters. His fastball sits 94-96 mph and touches 98 with natural ride and cut that generates whiffs and weak popups at the top of the zone. His hard, vertical slider is a wipeout pitch at 87-90 mph and gives him a second plus offering that he can throw for strikes or use to get chases. Horton primarily throws his fastball and slider, but his low-80s curveball with downward bite is an average third offering he can land for strikes. His firm, upper-90s changeup is a usable, if fringy, fourth offering. Horton has a tick of effort to his delivery, but he maintains his stuff through his starts and throws everything for strikes with average control. He pitched only one partial season in college and still has to prove he can maintain his best stuff over a full season.
  
  The Future: Horton has the ingredients to be a midrotation starter as long as he refines a third pitch and stays healthy. He'll make his pro debut in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 50

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #23 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Oklahoma Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 20.9
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 45 | Cutter: | Control: 50
  Horton was a highly regarded high school prospect in the 2020 class, when he ranked as the No. 65 prospect on the BA 500 thanks to his two-way talents. Horton was a preseason All-American for his efforts on the mound and showed impressive ability as an infielder and hitter. On top of that, he was a standout high school quarterback who was committed to Oklahoma to play both sports. He went undrafted and made it to campus, and quickly started drawing rave reviews for his fall efforts in 2021. His 2021 season never happened, however, as Horton had Tommy John surgery. Now a draft-eligible sophomore, Horton didn’t get on the mound until late March—though he played plenty of third base and slashed .235/.323/.324 as a hitter—but he rocketed up draft boards with dynamic pitching performances and stuff that trended way up during the College World Series. Horton helped pitch the Sooners to the College World Series finals and in four June outings posted a 2.81 ERA while striking out 40 batters and walking just four. In June, he pitched with a 94-95 mph fastball that got up to 98 with high spin and impressive carry up in the zone. All of his pitches feature a high-spin profile, and he’s shown impressive feel to spin the baseball dating back to his prep days. He showed a harder slider in the mid 80s that got up to 90 mph late in the season, a pitch that earned double-plus grades and was used more frequently than his fastball. Horton will also throw a slower curveball around 80 mph, and that could be an above-average offering as well. He didn’t use a changeup much this spring, but he has a firm one in the upper 80s that flashes some downward movement and could be a real fourth pitch. Because Horton has just 53.2 innings under his belt, teams could vary on how far up the board they would select him, but he was getting consistent top-two round chatter in late June and plenty of scouts like his arm talent enough to put him in the first round.
• Ranked #65 prospect in 2020 draft
  Horton has a variety of different paths forward in his athletic future, and not all of them involve baseball. Committed to Oklahoma to play both football and baseball, Horton is a talented high school quarterback and a legitimate two-way player on the diamond. Horton was a third-team preseason All-American as a pitcher, but there are teams who prefer him as a position player. He’s an athletic shortstop with a natural feel for the game and an impressive internal clock. He’s a twitchy athlete who isn’t necessarily a pure shortstop, but he has the athleticism and arm strength to make it work with continued reps and focus, while third base is a possibility as well. At the plate, Horton has a heavy opposite-field approach with a short bat path that limits his extension at times. On the mound, Horton’s arm works well and he can reach back and get to 94-95 mph, though his velocity tends to fall off fairly quickly. He’ll dip into the low 90s and down into the upper 80s more than scouts would like. He has a natural feel to spin a breaking ball and knows how to use it, with the pitch projecting as average. Almost everyone agrees that Horton could become significantly better in either area if he focused exclusively on pitching or hitting, but teams aren’t sure which he prefers or even if he’s ready to give up football. Because of that there’s a good chance he makes it to campus, but he has plenty of upside as a projection arm and a talented hitter and defender.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #42 prospect in 2024
• Ranked Baseball America's #17 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Very High
  
  Track Record: A standout quarterback and All-America pitcher in high school, Horton committed to Oklahoma to play both football and baseball but had Tommy John surgery as a freshman and dropped football. He began 2022 as the Sooners' starting third baseman while he eased his way back onto the mound and struggled early in his return to pitching, but he clicked at the end of the year to rocket up draft boards. Horton carried Oklahoma to the College World Series finals with a 2.81 ERA over four postseason starts and set a CWS finals record with 13 strikeouts against Mississippi. The Cubs drafted him seventh overall one month later and signed him for a below-slot $4.45 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Horton is a strong, athletic righthander with a power arsenal that overwhelms hitters. His fastball sits 94-96 mph and touches 98 with natural ride and cut that generates whiffs and weak popups at the top of the zone. His hard, vertical slider is a wipeout pitch at 87-90 mph and gives him a second plus offering that he can throw for strikes or use to get chases. Horton primarily throws his fastball and slider, but his low-80s curveball with downward bite is an average third offering he can land for strikes. His firm, upper-90s changeup is a usable, if fringy, fourth offering. Horton has a tick of effort to his delivery, but he maintains his stuff through his starts and throws everything for strikes with average control. He pitched only one partial season in college and still has to prove he can maintain his best stuff over a full season.
  
  The Future: Horton has the ingredients to be a midrotation starter as long as he refines a third pitch and stays healthy. He'll make his pro debut in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 50
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Very High
  
  Track Record: A standout quarterback and All-America pitcher in high school, Horton committed to Oklahoma to play both football and baseball but had Tommy John surgery as a freshman and dropped football. He began 2022 as the Sooners' starting third baseman while he eased his way back onto the mound and struggled early in his return to pitching, but he clicked at the end of the year to rocket up draft boards. Horton carried Oklahoma to the College World Series finals with a 2.81 ERA over four postseason starts and set a CWS finals record with 13 strikeouts against Mississippi. The Cubs drafted him seventh overall one month later and signed him for a below-slot $4.45 million.
  
  Scouting Report: Horton is a strong, athletic righthander with a power arsenal that overwhelms hitters. His fastball sits 94-96 mph and touches 98 with natural ride and cut that generates whiffs and weak popups at the top of the zone. His hard, vertical slider is a wipeout pitch at 87-90 mph and gives him a second plus offering that he can throw for strikes or use to get chases. Horton primarily throws his fastball and slider, but his low-80s curveball with downward bite is an average third offering he can land for strikes. His firm, upper-90s changeup is a usable, if fringy, fourth offering. Horton has a tick of effort to his delivery, but he maintains his stuff through his starts and throws everything for strikes with average control. He pitched only one partial season in college and still has to prove he can maintain his best stuff over a full season.
  
  The Future: Horton has the ingredients to be a midrotation starter as long as he refines a third pitch and stays healthy. He'll make his pro debut in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 50
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 55/High
  
  August Update: Horton was a highly regarded high school prospect in the 2020 class, when he ranked as the No. 65 prospect on the BA 500 thanks to his two-way talents. Horton was a preseason All-American for his efforts on the mound and showed impressive ability as an infielder and hitter. On top of that, he was a standout high school quarterback who was committed to Oklahoma to play both sports. He went undrafted and made it to campus, and quickly started drawing rave reviews for his fall efforts in 2021. His 2021 season never happened, however, as Horton had Tommy John surgery. Now a draft-eligible sophomore, Horton didn&#39t get on the mound until late March—though he played plenty of third base and slashed .235/.323/.324 as a hitter—but he rocketed up draft boards with dynamic pitching performances and stuff that trended way up during the College World Series. Horton helped pitch the Sooners to the College World Series finals and in four June outings posted a 2.81 ERA while striking out 40 batters and walking just four. In June, he pitched with a 94-95 mph fastball that got up to 98 with high spin and impressive carry up in the zone. All of his pitches feature a high-spin profile, and he&#39s shown impressive feel to spin the baseball dating back to his prep days. He showed a harder slider in the mid 80s that got up to 90 mph late in the season, a pitch that earned double-plus grades and was used more frequently than his fastball. Horton will also throw a slower curveball around 80 mph, and that could be an above-average offering as well. He didn&#39t use a changeup much this spring, but he has a firm one in the upper 80s that flashes some downward movement and could be a real fourth pitch.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 55. Slider: 65. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.