Horton named finalist for NL Rookie of the Year after dominant finish
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CHICAGO -- As the Cubs’ celebration raged inside their Wrigley Field clubhouse, following the win over the Padres that clinched Chicago’s spot in the National League Division Series, rookie Cade Horton spotted veteran shortstop Dansby Swanson being interviewed by a TV crew.
Horton began wildly spraying Swanson with champagne, while yelling: “Lock in! Lock in!”
It was payback for Swanson doing the same thing to Horton in Pittsburgh a couple of weeks earlier after the Cubs sealed their spot in the playoffs. And when the rookie pitcher turned around, veteran pitcher Matthew Boyd was waiting with a bear hug for Horton, who was unable to take part in that NL Wild Card Series due to injury.
“The last thing I would ever want was him to think he had no part in that,” Boyd said later. “He was a huge part of why we were there -- everyone was. … If he didn’t throw those innings of elite baseball down the stretch, we wouldn’t have gotten there.”
Those brilliant innings from Horton have put him in position to possibly win the NL Rookie of the Year Award from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. On Monday, Horton was revealed as one of the top three vote-getters for the annual honor, alongside Braves catcher Drake Baldwin and Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin.
The Cubs have not had a Rookie of the Year winner since Kris Bryant won for his outstanding 2015 performance for the North Siders. The last Chicago pitcher to win the award was righty Kerry Wood during his sensational 1998 campaign. Geovany Soto (2008), Jerome Walton (1989), Ken Hubbs (1962) and Billy Williams (1961) also won Rookie of the Year for the Cubs.
The BBWAA Rookie of the Year winners in both leagues will be announced on Nov. 10 on MLB Network (6 p.m. CT).
“It was a whirlwind,” Horton said after the Cubs’ playoff run ended. “Came up and had some good outings, had some really bad outings. And then finally settled in and came into my own. I’m just wanting to carry that into the offseason and carry that to next season and really prove who I am.”
Overall, the 24-year-old Horton -- a first-round pick by the Cubs in the 2022 Draft -- finished this season 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 23 games (22 starts). The righty finished with 97 strikeouts against 33 walks in 118 innings and allowed 95 hits (10 home runs). Horton was called up on May 10 to help a rotation hit with injuries, and he never looked back.
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Horton was especially dominant down the stretch, turning a corner after a rough performance (seven runs in four innings) on June 27 in Houston. The rookie was blunt in his self-assessment after that outing and vowed to learn from the experience. He then spun a 1.36 ERA in his final 14 outings, yielding just 44 hits in 73 innings the rest of the way.
Horton’s season came to an unfortunate end on Sept. 23, when he exited a start against the Mets after three innings due to tightness in his right side. Imaging revealed a right rib fracture -- possibly the result of a violent cough while fighting an illness in the previous week -- that landed Horton on the injured list.
Horton was back on a mound for bullpen sessions during the NL Division Series against the Brewers and was poised for a return had the Cubs advanced, per president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer. Horton never got that chance, but his season was nonetheless remarkable.
“I just felt like start to start, [we were] watching him evolve as a pitcher,” Hoyer said at the end of the season. “He picked up new things. I mean, the changeup was sort of a new pitch when we got him, and he developed that really well. He started using a two-seamer more. Obviously, he pounds the zone and is super efficient.”
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In those final 14 turns for the North Siders, Horton allowed zero runs seven times, no more than one run a dozen times and two runs or fewer in 13 of the games. His 1.03 ERA in the second half was the second-lowest mark in Cubs history (minimum 60 innings) since at least 1913 (when earned runs became an official stat). Only Jake Arrieta (0.75 ERA in 2015) had a better showing.
From July 11 through the end of the season, Horton’s 1.03 ERA led all Major League pitchers with at least 40 innings logged. Among the same group of pitchers in that time period, the Cubs’ rookie also ranked first in opponents’ average (.154), opponents’ on-base percentage (.213) and WHIP (0.78).
“His second half was exceptional,” Hoyer said. “And he put himself in the conversation to be Rookie of the Year.”