Chicago Cubs Prospects of the Week for 5/29-6/4

Pitcher of the week: RHP Cade Horton (21 Years Old)

1 G, 4 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 K

You can’t spend a whole list like this hyping up relief pitchers. Luckily Horton dominated this week and gave us something to look forward to beyond this year’s roster. Last year he struggled to start his final college season, but no one finished stronger than he did and he flew up draft boards. 

The Cubs managed to not only draft Horton but also sign him significantly under the slot value associated with the pick he was taken with and that allowed the Cubs to sign the player that I would argue is now the number one prospect in the system: Jackson Ferris. 

Horton has continued that domination this season. He started at Low-A and was clearly too advanced for them as he pitched in 14.1 innings and struck out 21 batters while holding a 1.26 ERA and a 2.66 xFIP. He’s had less success in the 14.2 innings he’s thrown at High-A with regards to his ERA, but his strikeout rate is even higher and his xFIP is even lower at 2.31. I don’t expect Horton to be up any time soon, but having him on a trajectory similar to Jordan Wicks where we could see him as early as late 2024 or early 2025 does get me a little jazzed.