MLB · Biography
Cade Horton
Pitcher (RHP) · Chicago Cubs · MLB · injured list · OU 2021-2022
Norman native who went from OU third baseman to NL Rookie of the Year runner-up
Cade Horton was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Norman, where he starred in baseball and football at Norman High School. He was Oklahoma's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year in 2020 and committed to OU for baseball.
Horton tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow before his freshman season and had Tommy John surgery, redshirting in 2021. In 2022 he started the year at third base and worked into the rotation as he recovered. He went 5–2 with 64 strikeouts in 53.2 innings and saved his best for the postseason: in five starts he went 3–0 with a 2.61 ERA and 49 strikeouts. In the College World Series Finals against Ole Miss he struck out a career-high 13 in 7.1 innings and made the CWS All-Tournament Team.
The Chicago Cubs drafted him seventh overall in 2022 and signed him for $4.45 million. He debuted on May 10, 2025, against the Mets and earned the win. After the All-Star break he went 8–1 with a 1.03 ERA in 12 starts, and he finished 11–4 with a 2.67 ERA, second in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
In April 2026 he left his second start of the season with forearm discomfort, and tests showed damage to his UCL. He had revision surgery on the ligament on April 16. The Cubs estimated a 15- to 16-month recovery. As of October 9, 2026, he is on the Cubs' 60-day injured list.