Cubs' Horton flashes ace-like potential with unhittable outing

One errant pitch was all that separated Cade Horton from a perfect outing. Nevertheless, his performance on Thursday night was a not-so-subtle reminder how easily MLB Pipeline's No. 45 prospect can dominate a game.

Horton rebounded from a pair of rough outings by twirling four no-hit innings to lead High-A South Bend past Peoria, 4-1, at Dozer Park. The 21-year-old struck out five and tossed 37 of his 50 pitches for strikes. Unsurprisingly, Horton did not issue a walk and his only blemish came on a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the first inning.

The Oklahoma product appeared to get stronger as his outing progressed, needing just 33 pitches over his final three frames.

• MLB Pipeline | Top 100 prospects | Prospect video

"I felt good early and I settled in right away," Horton said. "Just slowing the game down and treating every pitch the same and executing. I thought I did a nice job tonight."

The outing represented a rebound of sorts for Horton, who followed up his best month as a professional with a pair of mediocre outings to begin July. The right-hander surrendered just three runs (two earned) in June but was hit hard when the calendar flipped, yielding eight runs and 11 hits in 8 2/3 innings.

There was no such issue against the Chiefs, who tagged the second-ranked Cubs prospect for five runs, including a pair of homers, in five frames on July 5.

"I was able to slow things down [tonight]," Horton explained. "My previous two outings ... I just felt like things were speeding up on me, and it showed."

Horton pitched to just one three-ball count and only two balls -- a lineout to right field in the first and a flyout to center in the second -- left the infield.

The outing lowered Horton's ERA to 3.23 and his WHIP to 0.96 spanning 15 starts with Single-A Myrtle Beach and South Bend, while punching out 86 batters against 16 walks in 61 1/3 innings. Opposing batters are hitting just .193 against him, which should come as no surprise.

"[Batters] have a good game plan here," Horton said. "It's up to me to combat that. It's a constant learning experience, meaning reading the swings and figuring out what they're trying to do. Top to bottom, the approach of these guys are so much tighter. Not as many free swingers, so it's something I need to keep adjusting to."

Despite pitching just one season for the Sooners, Horton showed his potential, striking out what was then a College World Series record 13 in the 2022 title game against Ole Miss. The Cubs came calling several weeks later.

Selected seventh overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Horton's first pro season has been an unqualified success, despite the occasional hiccup. Almost unhittable through his first four starts in the Carolina League, he earned a promotion to South Bend and struggled initially. Horton yielded 10 runs in 10 2/3 frames in his first three outings in the Midwest League before turning a corner during his final start in May.

He carried that momentum into June and finished the month with a 0.92 ERA and 29 K's in 19 2/3 innings.

Horton pondered why his first few weeks with South Bend were a struggle and he found a not-so-complicated answer.

"All about slowing things down," he admitted. "I was trying to prove I belong and just doing too much instead of trusting my abilities and attacking guys. There really isn't anything more to it than that."