Despite being the favorite to win 2025 National League Rookie of the Year, Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton finished second in the voting behind Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.
Horton, who finished the regular season on the injured list because of a rib fracture, never got his chance to shine in the postseason and fell short in the ROY voting despite his historic second half. Baldwin received 21 first place votes, while Horton was given nine first-place votes.
The Cubs' starting pitcher had a 2.67 ERA in 118 innings of work. Maybe the innings total for Horton made voters shy away from him, but there's no doubt that the right-hander earned consideration for the award.
I mean, these numbers following the All-Star break were ridiculous.
Was he robbed?
As for Baldwin, the Braves catcher was gracious in his victory.
Horton didn't win the award, but by finishing second in the voting he did earn a full year of service time after making his MLB debut on May 10, 2025.
Cade Horton's historic stretch
It has been an absolute delight to see Cade Horton's development this year and now he's become the clear favorite to win 2025 NL Rookie of the Year. The first-year starting pitcher hasn't only been the best among rookies since the All-Star break, Horton has been the best rotation arm in all of baseball for the past two months.
Horton once again stepped up on Tuesday night and led the Cubs to a 6-1 win, throwing 6.1 innings against the Atlanta Braves. He held Atlanta to one run on four hits and although he only struck out a pair of batters the rookie did not give up a walk. The 24-year-old now has a 2.70 ERA in 110 innings pitched this season.
The Cubs have watched Horton go from a decent rookie season to an all-timer. He has a 0.84 ERA in his last 10 starts.
He's been unbelievable.
Over on the sportsbooks Horton is the clear favorite with Braves' catcher Drake Baldwin trailing in second.
2025 NL Rookie of the Year Favorite (as of 9/11)
FanDuel: Cade Horton, -125
DraftKings: Cade Horton, -130
BetMGM: Cade Horton, -125
Caesars: Cade Horton, -125
Crazy how things can change so drastically during a baseball season. Fans were curious how Horton would respond after missing most of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury and now Horton is viewed as a top-3 if not top-2 starter for the Cubs heading into the postseason.
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Quick question, do you know who the best starting pitcher in MLB has been since the All-Star break? And well, you can actually go back to the beginning of July because following the worst game of his young career Chicago Cubs right-hander Cade Horton has been dominant. Thanks to his near flawless performance during the past two months Horton has quietly become the favorite to win 2025 NL Rookie of the Year.
Cade Horton Betting Favorite to win ROY
Horton was unfortunately unable to go long in his start against the Milwaukee Brewers last week, exiting in the third inning because of a blister issue. Luckily, Horton has previous experience with blisters and the Cubs dodged a major problem by taking the cautious route with him. Horton returned to the mound against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday and he was once again excellent.
The Cubs cruised to a 12-1 win and Horton pitched six shutout innings as he allowed a total of three hits and one walk, while striking out seven batters. As fans have been accustomed to seeing in recent Horton starts, the right-handed pitcher was a strike-throwing machine. His first 21 pitches against the Angels were all strikes, either called, swung and missed, fouled off or hit into play.
The aggressive mindset allowed Horton to mow down the Angels lineup with only 34 pitches through four innings. Another impressive showing from the rookie as Horton has now allowed a total of six earned runs in his last nine starts.
Dating back to his start on July 3, Horton has an MLB-best 1.11 ERA in 48.2 innings. In seven starts since the All-Star break, Horton has a ridiculous 0.49 ERA in 37 innings of work.
Overall in 2025, Horton is up to 18 games and 93.2 innings pitched with a 2.88 ERA. This incredible stretch has vaulted Horton as the current betting favorite to win 2025 NL Rookie of the Year, according to odds on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
2025 NL Rookie of the Year Odds DraftKings, FanDuel (as of 8/25)
Cade Horton: +140, +130
Isaac Collins: +180, +200
Drake Baldwin: +240, +220
The last Cubs pitcher to win the Rookie of the Year award came in 1998, when Kerry Wood earned the honor after he recorded a 3.40 ERA with 233 strikeouts in 166.2 innings.
The Cubs have 31 games remaining in the regular season, so if Horton continues on his regular schedule he'll have at least five more starts to keep impressing the voters. The strikeouts have been ticking up in August, but because Horton hasn't had the huge strikeout numbers since his debut back in May, his dominance could be overlooked.
Well, it's a good time to remind everyone that Horton is in the midst of a special season. I mean, who would think that you could compare anyone to Jake Arrieta's insane second-half run in 2015.
Keep it going, Cade!
