Cubs' Cade Horton is just focused on preparing for the season — but could he start Opening Day?
MESA, Ariz. — Cubs right-hander Cade Horton’s task this spring training is far different from previous years. Just last year he was focused on cleaning up his mechanics, with the hope of laying a foundation for a future call-up.
This year, spring training is simply a time to build up and prepare for the season. Horton is not only penciled into the rotation, but his elite second-half performance in 2025 put him in a strong position to compete for the Opening Day starter nod.
“It's obviously a really cool opportunity if it was to come,” Horton said after throwing three scoreless innings in an exhibition game against Team Italy on Tuesday. “But at the end of the day, when I go out there, my job is to help win games. And whether I throw the fifth day of the season or the first day, it's the same thing: going out there and trying to get outs.”
Horton’s coming off a glowing season that won him runner-up NL Rookie of the Year honors. He worked efficiently within late-season pitch limits to author a 2.67 ERA in 23 appearances. But a fractured rib sidelined him for the postseason.
In his sophomore season, a repeat of his 2025 performance but without guardrails would be an impressive next step.
“You can always adjust throughout the year on how much you want to push a guy,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “But definitely not going to baby him. That's the point, he's earned the right to go and go compete and be great.”
Horton came into spring training with his foot on the gas pedal. In his first live batting practice session, admittedly amped up, he hit 98 mph. In spring training starts, his fastball has been sitting right around a more sustainable 96 mph.
“When you're only throwing 20 [pitches] on a backfield, or a lower pitch count, guys will tend to push themselves a little bit more,” Hottovy said. “And I don't mind it, because we're human beings, right? Check that box. ‘Okay, didn't end the year healthy, I worked hard this offseason, let's see if everything I worked on is there.’ And then it is, and then you can kind of settle in. But he's done fantastic.”
Carlson on the mend
Outfielder Dylan Carlson did not need X-rays after getting drilled on the right elbow by a pitch Monday. He wasn’t in the Cubs’ lineup Tuesday against Team Italy, but he wasn’t scheduled to be, manager Criag Counsell said.
“I think we’re fine,” Counsell said.
When hitting, Carlson wears a guard on his front elbow, but he was hit by a 88.8 mph cutter on the inside of his back elbow in the fourth inning Monday. He exited in the bottom half of the inning, finishing his day with two hits in as many at-bats.
Carlson, a non-roster invitee, is competing for a bench spot in camp.
Full circle
When Counsell was a special assistant for the Brewers, between the end of his playing career and start of his managerial career, he chipped in on evaluating amateur players before the MLB Draft. Oregon State University outfielder Michael Conforto, now a 10-year veteran in camp with the Cubs, was the first player he was assigned to.
“He was projected to be a first-rounder, and was obviously a very talented kid,” Counsell said. “I learned that [amateur scouting is] an incredibly difficult job. But Michael was a great player. He stood out as a great player, for sure.”
Somewhere, Counsell said, he still has the positive report he wrote. Conforto was selected No. 10 overall by the Mets in the 2014 draft, and two picks later, the Brewers took left-handed pitcher Kodi Medeiros.