Currently holding the top NL Wild Card spot, the Chicago Cubs look to continue their winning ways against the Washington Nationals on Saturday. The Cubs rebounded from a series ending loss to the Atlanta Braves with an 11-5 win over the Nationals on Friday. Although they are down 2-1 in the seventh inning, there's still time to clinch a win. Despite starting during that loss to Atlanta, rookie Cade Horton has still emerged as FanDuel's betting favorite for the National League Rookie of the Year.
Horton's five-inning outing against the Braves was actually a strong one. The former top prospect threw five shutout innings, holding the Braves hitless and striking out six. He was one walk away from a perfect outing. However, fellow young gun Ben Brown cost Horton his tenth win of the season. So far, the former first-round pick is 9-4 with a 2.78 ERA in 103.2 innings. He could eclipse the 125-inning mark on the season.
Further down the FanDuel list is another Cub, this time third baseman Matt Shaw at +6000. The 23-year-old rebounded from a rough start and subsequent demotion to make it back to Wrigley Field. Now, it appears that Shaw has locked in the hot corner. Although his .229 batting average doesn't scream impactful, the rookie's performance at the plate has stabilized since his early season ups and downs. Whether Horton, Shaw or another contender clinches the Rookie of the Year honor, the Cubs duo has a likely postseason berth ahead of them. Will each talented rookie contribute to a deep postseason run for the North Siders this year?
Cubs hope that Cade Horton, Matt Shaw turn into stars
Both Horton (in 2022) and Shaw (in 2023) are recent Cubs first rounders. In fact, last year's first rounder, Cam Smith, is in the majors with the Houston Astros. So, it's safe to say that Chicago president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has drafted at least somewhat well as of late. Chances are the work that Hoyer and the front office have done in the draft helped the Cubbies' head of baseball ops earn his recent extension.
Will Horton or Shaw capture this year's NL Rookie of the Year title? Based on just how well Horton has done since he debuted, it would be a surprise if FanDuel's odds aren't correct. There are other impactful rookies, like the Braves' Drake Baldwin, but Horton has a very good chance at impacting the Cubs' postseason odds. Can the flamethrowing rookie team up with Shaw to help lead Chicago on another deep postseason run?
