How does Cade Horton stack up against other NL Central flamethrowers?

Following the first edition of their burgeoning rivalry — where the Pirates escaped with a 2-1 victory over the Cubs in extras — Cade Horton and Paul Skenes look like the future of their respective pitching staffs.

The two highly-touted right-handers combined to pitch 10 2/3 innings of shutout baseball, as Skenes struck out five and allowed four hits and two walks, while Horton struck out four and allowed the same number to reach base.

Of course, they aren't the only young aces making names for themselves in the NL Central. In fact, just about every team in the division has a starting pitcher to tie its future to.

Cade Horton staring down difficult rivalry with Paul Skenes, Hunter Greene

Now, the big name in this discussion is obviously Skenes. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes was arguably the most hyped pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg, and he's done nothing but live up to expectations since making his debut in May 2024.

His career ERA in 224 innings is 1.93, which sounds ridiculous until you realize he has a 2.49 FIP and arguably the best fastball in baseball. It's not a stretch to call him the best pitcher in baseball, and the only thing that may stop him from eating the Cubs' lunch for the next 15 years is the Pirates' frugality.

In his rookie season in 2024, he finished third in NL Cy Young voting and naturally took home the NL Rookie of the Year award. He's the favorite to win the Cy Young this year, and probably will be in all future years that he's in the senior circuit.

If anyone has anything to say about it, though, Hunter Greene of the Reds is probably going to be a strong competitor, both in the Cy Young race and for the title of "baseball's best fastball".

After a breakout season in 2024 in which he finished eighth in Cy Young voting, Greene has been even better this year, with a fastball nearing a 100 mph average and a 2.72 ERA and 30.8% strikeout rate in about 60 innings of work.

However, not even Greene can compare to what the Brewers have just unleashed, as top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski dazzled in his no-hit debut, where he flashed a fastball that reached as high as 102 mph.

It's too early to call him a sure thing, but Misiorowski looks like he'll be a problem for the other NL Central teams for a long while.

And that's the competition Horton finds himself up against (the Cardinals do have Matthew Liberatore, though he isn't a very hard thrower, nor is he as highly-touted as the aforementioned pitchers). His 95.8 mph average fastball velocity falls well shy of his division contemporaries, though his sweeper-curveball combination is as strong as any of the off-speed offerings from those flamethrowers.

In truth, Horton may end up being the worst of the bunch, though that's a very relative assessment. This is a group of pitchers that anyone should want to be a part of, and if Horton's performance gets him mentioned in the same breath as Skenes and Greene, then he's doing something right.

It was only one start, but his first showdown with Skenes was as exciting as it was promising. Hopefully, Horton can continue going toe-to-toe with the other aces in the NL Central for years to come.