With one guaranteed season of Kyle Tucker on the books, the Chicago Cubs need to make 2025 count. And thus far, they are doing just that: Sporting a bombshell offense that boasts the second-highest OPS (.799) in baseball entering action on Wednesday, the Cubs have jumped out to an 18-12 record, good enough for first place in the NL Central. Unfortunately, the only thing standing between the Cubs and a championship is their pitching staff.
As a whole, Cubs’ hurlers own an off-putting 4.10 ERA, placing them in 17th in that stat league-wide. Losing Justin Steele for the season and Javier Assad for an extended duration has certainly put a damper on an otherwise amazing start to the season on the North Side. And on Tuesday, the team had another injury scare, this time with their ace, Shota Imanaga.
Fortunately, it was only leg cramps for the star lefty, and an IL stint seems unwarranted. But if the Cubs aim to bring a second World Series trophy to Wrigley in over a century, it's clear they'll need to reinforce this pitching staff — and the best way to do just that could be just a phone call away.
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Top prospect Cade Horton is dominating for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs
The Cubs' no. 2 prospect (no. 48 overall, per MLB Pipeline) righty Cade Horton has been scorching hot of late at Triple-A. On Tuesday night, Horton threw yet another gem during his fifth start for the Iowa Cubs, allowing just one run in six innings. As good as his outing was, it actually slightly raised his ERA.
In 23 innings on the year, Horton owns a 1.17 ERA (only 3 earned runs) with 28 strikeouts and a miniscule .135 opponent batting average. Given his astonishing success, Horton should be gracing the field in the Friendly Confines this year. And given the Cubs’ pitching woes, it may be better to act fast.
According to his scouting report, Horton utilizes a stellar four-pitch mix boasting a mid to high-90s fastball paired with a wipeout slider that rates as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He also throws a curveball that rates as plus and a high-80s changeup that can be a weapon if he can throw it for strikes.
The one matter complicating his call-up would be his injury history. Horton suffered with a shoulder strain that cost him most of the 2024 season, and he's got just 23 innings under his belt so far this year. It would be understandable if he wasn’t rushed to pitch in the Majors, but with his current performance and the many injuries to the Cubs’ pitching staff, it would seem his inevitable promotion should come sooner rather than later.