2 factors that stopped Cade Horton's bid to be first Cubs ROY since Kris Bryant

Chicago Cubs right-hander Cade Horton put together the most dominant stretch we've seen by a starting pitcher on the North Side in a decade, but a late season injury that sidelined him for the playoffs saw his breakout season end quietly.

That September injury, paired with the fact he didn't make his debut until May 10, proved to be costly in Horton's bid to become the first Cubs player named NL Rookie of the Year since Kris Bryant in 2015. He finished second, losing out to Atlanta Braves backstop Drake Baldwin.

Cade Horton finishes second in NL Rookie of the Year voting

As you can see, Horton was the only player besides Baldwin to earn a first-place vote - a testament to just how good he was for the Cubs as the season wore on. After the All-Star break, the former University of Oklahoma standout was superb, posting a 1.03 ERA in a dozen starts. He also thrived at Wrigley Field, pitching to a 1.63 ERA in 11 outings (compared to a still-respectable 3.59 ERA on the road).

Losing Horton at the end of the season proved to be a death blow for the Cubs' hopes of making a deep October run. After vanquishing the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series, Chicago came up short in the NLDS against the division champion Milwaukee Brewers - and the general consensus was that the young right-hander could have been the difference-maker for Craig Counsell's ballclub.

Rightfully so, the Cubs weren't going to rush their rookie right-hander back and jeopardize his long-term health. After coming up short in their July bid to add an impact arm to the rotation, Jed Hoyer is expected to pursue top-shelf pitching again this offseason. Even so, the expectation is Horton slots into the top of that staff for years to come and, hopefully, proves to be a real difference-maker in 2026 and beyond.

Of course, the last Chicago Cubs player to win Rookie of the Year was Kris Bryant, who led a young, unproven Cubs team to a surprise NLCS run a decade ago. The former #2 overall pick turned in a monster season, hitting 26 home runs, driving in 99 runs and putting up a 135 OPS+, setting the table for his MVP campaign a year later.