Chicago Cubs starter Justin Steele wants more respect on the name of teammate and rookie pitcher Cade Horton. In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the left-handed pitcher shared his thoughts on Horton, saying that the first-year hurler “just simply isn’t being talked about enough.”
Horton has been a solid asset for the Cubs in the 2024 MLB regular season, thus far. He struggled on the mound early on following his promotion to the big leagues in May, as he allowed six earned runs on 11 hits through nine innings in his first two starts in MLB, albeit both games resulting in wins, thanks to ample run support behind him. Horton, however, has generally been a steady presence on the hill for Chicago, which is still trying to catch the Milwaukee Brewers atop the standings in the National League Central division.
Whether Steele is right about his assumption on the relatively low attention people and the media are paying to Horton, what's undeniable is that the rookie has been pitching incredibly well since the 2025 MLB All-Star break. Through seven starts following the Midsummer Classic, the 24-year-old Horton has posted a 5-1 record to go with a 0.49 ERA to go along with a 0.78 WHIP and a .184 BABIP across 37.0 innings.
“I feel like I put myself in a position to do that,” Horton said after he learned that the Cubs were promoting him back in May, per MLB.com. “And now here we are.”
The Cubs felt at the time that Horton was ready for the show after he went 2-1 with a 1.24 ERA to go along with 33 strikeouts and 13 free passes issued in 29 frames of action on the mound for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in 2025.
“I think that's number one: He's the guy that's pitching the best in Iowa,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Horton then. “The player's got to earn the opportunity. He's off to a great start this season. He's pitched very well — particularly, his last three starts have been really, really good. So he's earned the opportunity.”
Fast forward to today, Horton is regarded as among the top candidates to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award, regardless of the level of fanfare on him.
Horton has the shortest price to win the said award on DraftKings with odds of +140. Others
