Cubs sign 2022 first-round draft pick Cade Horton, eight of first 10 selections
The Cubs drafted Cade Horton No. 7 overall out of Oklahoma.
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PHILADELPHIA – The Cubs signed No. 7 overall pick Cade Horton to a $4.45 million bonus on Friday, securing their first-round pick three days after the conclusion of the draft.
The right-hander signed for below the slot value of roughly $5.71 million, allowing the Cubs to allocate that money to later draft picks. The Cubs announced they had signed eight of their first 10 draft picks as of Saturday afternoon, leaving second-rounder Jackson Ferris and fourth-rounder Nazier Mulé.
“We have to try to figure out how we’re going to optimize our entire draft,” Cubs vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said of bonus pools before the draft. “That plays into the calculus of each pick. Who we’re going to pick, how much we’re going to pay them.”
Cubs announce they’ve signed eight of their first 10 picks so far, including Christopher Paciolla (3rd round), Brandon Birdsell (5th), Will Frisch (6th), Nick Hull (7th), Mason McGwire (8th), Connor Noland (9th) and Brody McCollough (10th). https://t.co/PhdecBETcu
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) July 23, 2022
Horton’s 2022 season with the University of Oklahoma showed his potential for development. After missing the 2021 season for Tommy John surgery, he eased into this season and posted a 7.94 ERA through nine games. But he found his rhythm, and a new slider, in the postseason.
“If you’d have asked me two months ago if Cade Horton was going to be a top target on the roadmap, I might have been a little skeptical,” Kantrovitz said on a video conference call this week. “But then, fast forward, and witnessing the trajectory of somebody like that, how much he improved, how easily he was able to pick up another pitch. Just piecing all that together, it’s an athlete with a high aptitude, with clearly a pretty great arm.”
In five postseason starts, Horton logged a 2.61 ERA. In his last two starts of the year, against Notre Dame and Ole Miss in the College World Series, he struck out a combined 24 batters. Horton was named to the all-tournament team.
“In Omaha, that crowd is crazy,” Horton said on a video call after being drafted. “It’s awesome to be able to be on that stage.”