When the Chicago Cubs placed Shota Imanaga on the injured list, fans were surprised that Triple-A starting pitcher Cade Horton didn’t receive the call. Horton has thrown well in Iowa so far this season, with a 1.24 ERA in six starts. The question is not if, but when Horton gets the call to the majors, but he may have to wait a little longer, as the Cubs would rather be patient with their young 23-year-old than force him to the majors early due to a lack of rotation depth.
The scouting report on Horton is simple. He’s a former two-sport athletes and two-way player. Horton played quarterback in high school and that has come in handy as he increases output and velocity as a starting pitcher, per MLB Pipeline:
“The athleticism that made Horton a quarterback prospect and allowed him to play third base for the Sooners helps him repeat his delivery and provide constant strikes. He has proven even more polished than Chicago expected but has to show he can handle a starter’s workload after topping out at 88 1/3 innings and totaling 176 1/3 in the last four seasons. He has the stuff and makeup to be the Cubs’ next ace if he can stay healthy.”
Cubs can’t afford to rush top prospect Cade Horton
The key phrase there from the Cubs perspective is “when healthy” which is why Chicago shouldn’t give in to their fanbase merely because of the hype around their No. 2 prospect. Instead, the Cubs could call up another prospect due a second chance. Yes, I’m talking about Matt Shaw.
While Shaw struggled during his early tenure with the Cubs – and Chicago is in no rush to promote him, mind you – he has played better in Iowa. In 13 games, Shaw is hitting .277 and starting to look like his old self at the plate. It helps his case that Chicago’s current third baseman is…Jon Berti.
The best-case scenario for the Cubs is that Imanaga isn’t forced to miss much time, thus allowing them to keep Horton in Iowa until perhaps midseason, when they can better watch his innings and expand the major-league rotation. Reports as recent as Monday considered Imanaga’s injury ‘mild’.