Horton shines in Smokies’ title run

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.

The pace at which Cade Horton has climbed the Cubs’ organizational ladder makes it seem possible that the big leagues could come calling at some point next season. For now, Chicago is just thrilled with his steady ascent this year, culminating in a dominant showing in the Southern League playoffs.

Horton logged five one-hit innings on Tuesday, helping Double-A Tennessee to a 10-3 win over Pensacola that sealed the Smokies’ first outright title since 1978. It was the finishing touch on an impressive first pro season for the pitcher, who was the Cubs’ first-round pick in 2022 and currently ranks No. 29 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list.

On Thursday, the Cubs named Horton their Vedie Himsl Minor League pitcher of the year.

“He pitched great,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “Obviously, when you take a guy high in the first round, you hope he goes out and pitches just like he did. He was outstanding for us at three levels and I'm really happy for him that we had enough innings for him to be able to pitch those two playoff games. This is a valuable experience to pitch in that environment.”

In two playoff starts for Tennessee, the 22-year-old Horton had 11 strikeouts against four walks with just one run allowed on four hits over 10 innings. Including his six previous starts at Double-A this season, the righty fashioned a 1.22 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 15 walks in 37 innings at that level.

Horton, who is the Cubs’ No. 2 prospect, reached Double-A after stops with both High-A South Bend and Single-A Myrtle Beach this season. Overall, including the two playoff outings, the prospect turned in a 2.47 ERA with 128 strikeouts and 31 walks in 98 1/3 innings (23 starts) this year.

Craig Breslow, the Cubs’ director of pitching and an assistant general manager, said last month that Horton impressed the organization this season with his ability to almost immediately implement tasks within his pitch arsenal.

“We kind of laid out the idea that we should try to add a breaking ball and add a changeup,” Breslow said. “And that probably puts the finishing touches on his development, at least from a repertoire standpoint. We didn't imagine that it would happen so quickly. And I think that's a testament to just him -- his aptitude, his willingness.

“There's no question he kind of could have and largely did steamroll through [Single-A] on the heels of a fastball and a slider, right? But he was trying 2-0 changeups and trying to land breaking balls, because he knew that that was what was necessary for his development.

“And I think that's pretty unique, especially for a guy who's as competitive as he is and is also very interested in putting up zeros.”

Jared Banner, the Cubs vice president of player development, echoed that sentiment when discussing Horton last month.

“It’s a talent that he has,” Banner said. “He's really smart. And he can hear things and be shown things and then apply them almost immediately. [He’s a] great athlete, great proprioception. And that allows him to do some things that maybe other people can't.”

Horton ended the season with a Double-A team filled with prospects from the Pipeline’s Top 30 list for the Cubs. Other players on the team included Owen Caissie (No. 3), Kevin Alcántara (No. 4), Matt Shaw (No. 6), Moises Ballesteros (No. 7) and James Triantos (No. 9), among others.

And as the Cubs try to chase down a spot in the playoffs at the Major League level, there are five players on the big league roster who spent time with Double-A this season. That group includes Jordan Wicks, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Miguel Amaya, Daniel Palencia and Luke Little.

“That was a really fun team,” Hoyer said of the Smokies. “It's fun to see them win the championship, but also win a championship with a team that looks dramatically different than it did [at the start of the year]. We've had so many guys go through there. Pete was there before and some of these other guys have gone through.

“To have Alcantara and Ballesteros and Shaw and Cade and all those guys there, it means a lot. And I'm really happy for Tennessee, for the organization. [Double-A manager] Kevin Graber did a great job with them. Anytime you win a championship in the Minor Leagues, I think it makes you happy, because you're not going to do it without a talented organization and talented team.”