(670 The Score) The Cubs selected Oklahoma right-hander Cade Horton with the No. 7 overall pick in the MLB Draft on Sunday night, a pick that came as a surprise to some.
Horton was projected to be taken deeper in the first round, but the Cubs saw upside in his future and savings potential to sign him below slot value, which helped allow them to land IMG Academy left-hander Jackson Ferris with the No. 47 overall pick in the second round.
So what exactly are the Cubs getting in Horton? Oklahoma baseball coach Skip Johnson believes the Cubs landed a pitcher in Horton with an aggressive mindset and the skills to be successful.
“Whatever the it is, he has it,” Johnson told the Mully & Haugh Show on Monday morning. “I mean, he’s going to go out and work extremely hard at his toolset. He's going to go out and attack. He’s a football player playing baseball.”
Horton, 20, went 5-2 with a 4.86 ERA for the Sooners last season. He significantly improved throughout the course of the season while working back from Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2021 season. Horton was 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 49 strikeouts in five postseason starts.
Horton has primarily relied on his fastball and slider. The key will be developing a stronger secondary pitch selection moving forward.
“The changeup will be the next thing,” Johnson said. “It's what he needs to learn. It’s command of the changeup. He can throw it, but the command of the changeup, to throw it any time is going to be the separator.”
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