After early end to brilliant debut, Horton looks for 'happy medium' in Mesa
This browser does not support the video element.
MESA, Ariz. -- One more win in October for the Cubs and Cade Horton would have joined the roster for the National League Championship Series. That victory did not arrive and the pitcher’s first postseason experience with the North Siders was limited to watching, learning and hoping.
Horton hoped he could return from a fluky right rib fracture and help the Cubs push for a World Series. Fully healthy now, the end goal remains the same as Horton ramps up for his first full season in the Major Leagues.
Horton made such an impact as a rookie last year, it could be easy to forget he was not there for the entire ride.
“It felt like he was up all year,” starter Jameson Taillon said. “He fit in so quickly and he’s such a good dude. I love watching him work. He’s an extremely high work ethic guy.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Horton worked two innings in his Cactus League debut after Taillon started the Cubs' 14-7 loss to the Rockies at Sloan Park. The 24-year-old righty was efficient per usual, firing 26 pitches and walking away with two strikeouts, one walk and no hits allowed. Horton featured four pitches and generated four whiffs on the swings he enticed.
After admittedly being a little amped up for his first live batting practice workout of the spring -- Horton was reaching 98 mph on a backfield earlier in camp – the righty has taken a deep breath and slowed things down. Per Statcast, he sat at 95.5 mph on average with his four-seamer (topping out at 96.3 mph) in his spring debut.
“My first live BP, the first time facing hitters, I was a little juiced up,” Horton said. “The second time I faced them, velo dropped back down. I felt like I was kind of working on stuff more. It’s just kind of finding that happy medium to where you set a good foundation, but you’re not overdoing it too early. I feel like I did a good job of that [against Colorado].”
If that sounds like a classic Spring Training quote from a veteran pitcher, well, Horton says starters like Taillon and Matthew Boyd have helped him with that mentality.
“For sure, they play a huge part in that,” Horton said, “just helping me understand, like, I’m on the team. I don’t need to go out there and prove it.”
No, Horton has little to prove at this point.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell had a nice summation of Horton’s performance last year.
“He dominated the league last year,” Counsell said. “There weren't many challenges for Cade while he was pitching. … He was outstanding.”
For anyone needing a refresher: Horton finished as the runner-up in balloting for the NL Rookie of the Year Award after a brilliant second-half surge. The righty went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 23 outings overall, but spun a 1.03 ERA in a dozen starts after the break. From July 1 onward, Horton had an MLB-best 1.36 ERA (min. 70 innings). Cy Young winner Paul Skenes was next on that list in the NL with a 1.76 ERA.
Horton joined the Cubs in May when the rotation was hit with injuries, and his own season ended on Sept. 23 when he experienced back and rib tightness in a three-inning outing against the Mets. It turned out to be a rib fracture, but Horton attempted a comeback as Chicago advanced deeper into October.
This browser does not support the video element.
When the Cubs were knocked out of the NL Division Series by the Brewers, Horton had progressed to throwing off a mound again. So, while Wednesday’s Spring Training outing was not necessarily an emotional moment for Horton, taking the field in a game environment felt great for the righty.
“Honestly, I thought I was going to be a little more rusty than I was,” Horton said. “It just felt good to get back and compete again. I feel like it’s kind of what you miss in the offseason, is the competitive factor. So yeah, it was fun getting back out there.”
The goal from here for the Cubs will be to make sure Horton paces himself properly over the next month.
“We’ve really stressed to Cade just a slow, steady build-up for the season,” Counsell said. “[He’s] somebody you’re going to count on for hopefully 30 starts, 30-plus starts. This is a time to just take it easy a little bit. But he’s come in in a great place.
“We’ll probably have to slow him down, if anything. That’s just kind of the mindset he operates with.”