Cade Horton is slated to make his long-awaited MLB debut for the Chicago Cubs sometime in Saturday's game against the New York Mets. He won't be starting like most Cubs fans expected, but he is likely going to pitch at some point. When he does, his best pitch, his slider, will obviously be on full display. For him to stick around in Chicago's rotation, however, his fastball might be the difference.
Again, Horton's slider is ridiculous. It was on full display in this past season's Cubs Spring Breakout game. That is his out pitch, and an offering he's going to be relying heavily on.
Horton is bringing the 70-grade slider that he showed off during Spring Breakout https://t.co/eXLzabCnIR pic.twitter.com/XYnRPVTtPi
— MLB (@MLB) May 8, 2025
With that being said, though, Horton, especially as a pitcher expected to eat innings, will need more than just a slider to be a quality MLB pitcher. That's where his fastball will come into play.
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Cade Horton's fastball could dictate whether he's a current fit for the Cubs' rotation
Bryan Smith of Bleacher Nation went into depth about how his fastball has improved greatly this season, and even declared that pitch "the key to how much success he’ll ultimately have".
"And if you want a reason why Cade Horton has been so good in 2025, why he’s re-established his status as one of the game’s top pitching prospects (I don’t care if publications haven’t updated yet this season to reflect that, it’s just a fact), it’s that they’ve succeeded in fastball development. Cade Horton’s four-seamer averaged 94.1 mph and a pretty abysmal 12.6 inches of ride last year, but those are up to 95.8 mph and 15.1 inches this season (and he’s touched 98 and 18, respectively). The results have followed, with the wOBA (.424 to .270) and whiff rate (15.1 to 25.5) both exactly in the territory you’d want them," Smith wrote.
He's throwing his fastball harder and has more movement with that pitch. It's gone from an offering hitters had no problem hitting last season to one they're whiffing at a quarter of the time and have had virtually no success against.
Everyone knows how elite Horton's slider is, but MLB hitters can just sit on that pitch if the right-hander has nothing else to offer. His four-seamer becoming the outstanding pitch it has become this season is a big reason why he's had the success he's had at Triple-A this season (1.24 ERA) and why the Cubs are confident enough to throw him into the fire now while also expecting him to stick around.