Cubs' Cade Horton comes into the new season with added pressure

Cubs' Cade Horton comes into the new season with added pressure originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Cade Horton has been someone the Chicago Cubs have been excited about for a few years now. He caught their attention after helping the University of Oklahoma reach the Men's College World Series in 2022.

They selected him with the seventh overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft. After signing, it would not take him long to fly through the minors. 

In early May of last season, Horton would make his MLB debut against the New York Mets and didn't look back. He was great on the mound, putting together an 11-4 record with a 2.67 ERA and 97 strikeouts on 118 innings of work. 

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Cubs' Cade Horton comes into the new season with added pressure

With what Horton did during his first year in the big leagues, he nearly won the National League Rookie of the Year Award. He would end up finishing second behind Atlanta Braves' Drake Baldwin. 

Now, he will look to continue his dominating presence in the Cubs' rotation, and according to Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter, should work as the clear ace, and that could stay that way unless Justin Steele comes back from his elbow surgery and lights the world on fire. 

"The Cubs have a strong rotation top-to-bottom, but there's a case to be made that they are lacking a bona fide ace to anchor the staff. After going 8-1 with a 1.03 ERA in 61.1 innings after the All-Star break last season, Cade Horton has the potential to be that guy, or at least bridge the gap until Justin Steele returns sometime before the All-Star break."

Reuter puts the pressure on Horton to continue working as the clear No. 1 for the Cubs' rotation that could arguably be one of the best in MLB. And that rotation should get even stronger when Steele, another left-handed starting option, returns sometime around the All-Star break.

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