Horton on a whole other level, still posting zeros

On Sunday, Cade Horton found out he had been promoted for the second time this season. By Wednesday, the No. 2 Cubs prospect was back doing what he's done all year -- mystifying hitters, only this time it was in his Double-A debut.

Horton yielded just two hits while fanning six across four scoreless innings in Tennessee's 13-4 blowout victory over visiting Chattanooga at Smokies Stadium. The seventh overall pick in the 2022 Draft threw 56 pitches, 41 for strikes.

"The main thing was just slowing the game down – that was the biggest key -- not letting the [emotions surrounding the] promotion speed me up and just to know that I’m ready for this level," Horton said. "The plan was to just go out there and attack guys.”

That's pretty much what the 21-year-old righty has been doing since he joined the pro ranks this year. Over the first 16 outings of his career -- including four at Single-A Myrtle Beach and 11 with High-A South Bend -- he's racked up 92 strikeouts and only 16 walks over 65 1/3 innings.

But even so, the latest promotion came as something of a surprise to Horton. The Oklahoma product twirled four hitless innings for South Bend on July 27, then found out three days later that he was headed to the Smokies.

"So, on Monday, I drove to Tennessee and here we are," Horton said. “I can’t say that I was expecting it. I really don’t think about stuff like that. Promotions are out of my control.

“What I can control is going out there and performing well. Just taking it one pitch at a time. So, I just focus on what I can control and don’t worry about anything else.”

Cade Horton's first inning pitching in Double-A? A 1-2-3 inning with 2 strikeouts. #SmokiesBaseball #NextStartsHere @cadehorton14 pic.twitter.com/FhdtwCbzxl

— Tennessee Smokies (@smokiesbaseball) August 2, 2023

MLB's No. 45 overall prospect showed he could perform in the spotlight during the 2022 Men's College World Series, when Horton struck out 13 over 7 1/3 frames against Ole Miss. And he wasn't timid during his first foray at the second-highest rung of the Minors either.

In the final frame of his outing, Horton recorded back-to-back punchouts using the slider and curveball. Against righty Rece Hinds (Cincinnati's No. 13 prospect) and lefty Alex McGarry, Horton used his fastball to get ahead of each of them, 0-2, before retiring them with different pitches – first his high-velocity slider with late break and then with a looping curveball that sits in the '80s.

“I know the one that kicked away was a curveball,” Horton said. “The other was a slider because the only strikeout I got tonight on a curveball was the one that kicked away.”

Of the six strikeouts recorded in his Smokies debut, three came via the fastball, two on the slider, and as he noted, one via the looping curveball. Each pitch showed excellent life and mystified the Lookouts.

“I feel like [an outing like tonight] is good and kind of helps you settle in,” Horton said. “Having success gives you confidence. So just continuing to put the work in day in and day out is my main focus.”

It's that impressive blend of pitches that seemingly has the Oklahoma City native on the fast track to Wrigley Field.

“It’s a strong mix,” Horton said of his balanced attack. “I just try to execute every pitch. When you try to make a guy swing and miss, that’s usually when they don’t swing. So I just try to make sure my stuff is in the zone and letting it play – that’s my main focus. But, yeah, I feel like I’ve done a good job of using all my pitches to do that.”