SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Perhaps in the past, Cade Horton would have been worked up over what took place at Surprise Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. The Cubs pitcher has learned, however, not to overreact to results, especially in a Spring Training setting.
“The results, they can sometimes lie to you,” Horton said. “If I was living in the results, I’d be really disappointed right now.”
In an 8-3 Cactus League loss to the Rangers, Horton walked off the mound with six runs on his pitching line. The righty gave up six hits, including three home runs that accounted for all of Texas’ runs against him. Horton issued two walks, struck out two batters and finished with 60 pitches thrown.
What the casual observer would not see is that Horton was focused on throwing his breaking balls more than usual. He also was pleased with the life on his fastball (95.9 mph on average with a 97.6 mph max velocity, per Statcast) and felt his curveball and slider felt great out of his hand.
Horton is right where he wants to be at this point on the spring calendar.
“It really is all about getting ready for Opening Day,” Horton said. “I can take a lot of good out of what I did today. Obviously, the results were pretty bad, but it is what it is. So, I’ll just get ready for the next one.”
That is a veteran-level mentality for a 24-year-old pitcher with only part of one season in the Major Leagues.
Now, it helps that Horton’s ‘25 tour was a dominant one -- a performance that earned a runner-up finish in the National League Rookie of the Year race. The righty headed into this spring with a job in hand, an Opening Day start a possibility (manager Craig Counsell has not yet announced his pick) and peace of mind that no one outing would derail anything.
Last year, Horton went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 118 innings, ending with 97 strikeouts and 33 walks. He posted a pristine 1.03 ERA across a dozen outings after the All-Star break, showing the ability to be one of the game’s best arms when firing on all cylinders. Now, he is set for a rotation spot, alongside Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Edward Cabrera.
Beyond that job security, plus the mentorship of the veteran pitchers in the room, Horton said one book, in particular, helped him really embrace a process-first mindset. He cited author Joshua Medcalf’s book, “Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great” as a turning point for his mental approach.
“I really buy into that,” Horton said. “I think it’s just a better way to live, right? Results are so up and down. That shouldn’t affect what you’re doing on the day to day. That shouldn’t affect how you view yourself.”
Horton pointed to a few moments in Tuesday’s outing to show how results can be deceptive on the surface.
In the first inning, Horton allowed a single to Brandon Nimmo and a double to Wyatt Langford on balls in play that had 82.9 mph and 69.8 mph exit velocities, respectively. After those bloop hits, Corey Seager launched a homer. In the second, Horton missed with two curveballs, creating a hitter-friendly count for Josh Smith, who then belted a solo shot. In the third, Horton placed a first-pitch curve at the bottom of the zone and induced a flyout from Seager.
Horton knows what went right and what went awry, and understands not to get worked up over something that happens in an exhibition environment.
“I focus on the process,” Horton said. “I’ve still got a 0.00 ERA in the [regular] season, so there’s no reason to get frustrated.”