Cade Horton

Cade Horton broke through in 2025 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 118 innings, finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting after posting a 144 ERA+. His underlying profile was strong but not overpowering, as his 3.58 FIP and 7.4 K/9 suggest more command-and-contact management than bat-missing dominance. Horton limited damage effectively (0.8 HR/9, 2.5 BB/9), and his 3.05 RA9 backed up much of the run prevention, though some regression toward his estimators is reasonable entering 2026. If the 2026 projections push him closer to the mid-3.00s in ERA with a modest bump in workload, that frames Horton as a high-floor SP3/SP4 in fantasy rather than a true ace. Without elite strikeout volume, his value will hinge on efficiency, wins and ratio stability in a competitive Cubs rotation. Draft him as a steady innings stabilizer, but avoid paying for a repeat sub-2.75 ERA unless there's tangible growth in swing-and-miss.

Cade Horton has increased velocity early in spring

Cade Horton has shown increased velocity early in spring training, sitting at 96 MPH and touching 98 MPH.

Fantasy Impact

Horton averaged 95.7 MPH on his fastball during his rookie season, so its a great sign to see the improvement so early in spring. He threw 147 innings last year between the majors and minors, the most in his career. It will be worth monitoring how the Cubs plan to manage his workload this season, as a longer leash could help bring the Rookie of the Year runner-up to a new level.