The Cubs have signed their first-round selection Cade Horton with a $4.45MM signing bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). Horton’s deal comes in south of the slot value for the seventh overall selection, which is allotted $5.71MM.
By coming in under slot for Horton, Callis notes, the Cubs were able to use their savings to draft Jackson Ferris in the second round of the draft. That certainly counts as a win for Chicago, but Horton himself is no slouch. The athletic 20-year-old right-hander comes to the Cubs as a pitcher, but he was also a competent infielder with Oklahoma, though his offensive numbers don’t jump off the page. He hit .235/.323/.324 across 168 plate appearances while mostly playing third base.
But of course, the Cubs did not draft Horton as an infielder. On the hill for Oklahoma, Horton posted a 4.86 ERA over 14 outings (11 starts) totaling 53 2/3 innings during the NCAA regular season. Horton brings a power arsenal to Chicago. He throws heat in the upper nineties, which he complements with a wipeout slider that touches 90 mph.
Horton does come with an injury history, having missed his freshman season at OU because of Tommy John surgery. The Cubs may believe the best is yet to come with Horton as he continues to find his footing after surgery. He was particularly impressive during the College World Series, which no doubt raised his stock enough to put him into the first-round conversation.
Love it, roll those savings into signing McGuire’s son.
They didn’t save anything. They drafted a player at least twenty picks to high and over payed him.
Wrong! It wasn’t that far of a reach… Callis had him as the best college arm and some considered him to be a top 10 pick.
The fact that he signed for 4.45 shows that there might have been interest in him around thr 12-14 pick range.
Mets… Don’t post your guesses as facts. Makes your inner hater show.
Haha, you had me at “over payed”
Bryzzz…. “to” high didn’t get you first?
Congratulations on being new to baseball. You’ll catch on in no time, sport.
Paid
McGwire’s son had already signed…..unless you’re speaking of a different “McGuire”.
Still can’t beleive the Reds didn’t draft Derek Jeter
This year was the 20th anniversary of the Moneyball draft where Oakland had seven of the top 39 picks.
The Cubs had four picks in the first and supplemental rounds. None of them made it to the majors.
So what?
That was 2002 and this is 2022… Also Cubs won in 2016, and the A’s last WS win?
Just a little history to enlighten your day.
1989! Mark McGwire was on that team. Mason McGwire is now in the Cubs organization. Baseball symmetry, catch it!
The Cubs under Theo and Jed thrived in drafting and scouting hitters. Now, since they’ve made terrible financial decisions and held onto their homegrown guys too long, they think their draft strategy was bad?
They did amazing developing hitters, and apparently now they want to focus on drafting and developing pitching, something that they have been horrific at. It doesn’t make sense.
I know Jed is different than Theo, but going back to when Theo became a GM with the Red Sox – name the top 5 starting pitchers his regimes drafted and developed. Jon Lester.. and then crickets. Guys like Clay Buchholz and Felix Doubrount are in that Top 5. Theo was great at recognizing young hitting, one of the worst ever at recognizing young pitching.
They have a lot of positional player depth in their system, so it makes sense that 16 of their 20 picks were pitchers. And they went more towards high ceiling, riskier picks. A few, like Horton, have had surgeries but they still took em. Way different from how safe they’ve played it in the past. Good on em.
I wouldn’t say the change in philosophy is good, or bad for that matter. Simply different.
Their lack of quality pitching depth in their farm system had to be addressed. This is a proactive decision that doesn’t look like it has much downside since what they’ve been doing sure hasn’t been the answer.
So Ryan, if Jed and Theo had shifted focus and drafted pitching instead–what would have the every day lineup looked like for five-six years? Perhaps the philosophy was to build offensive players and “acquire” pitchers.
Seems like the acquisitions of let’s say the three that won them the World Series: Lester, Arrieta, Hendricks (you can argue they developed, at the very least, Arrieta and Hendricks) fit their plan pretty well.
Whatever the true direction and game plan was, it certainly was executed quite well in Boston and Chicago by those guys. Let’s give them a little credit to that may have been the plan the entire time (hint: it was).
Correct – so why now are they changing philosophies when that front office was clearly talented at drafting hitting and not pitching? It’s like they are embarrassed at how bad they have been, so now they are trying to make up for it.
Personally, I think the Cubs need to wipe that front office completely clean and get a new philosophy established for the years ahead.
I think you’re over-valuing thr Cubs drafting and development under Theo. Keep in mind they were high 1stbrounders, but look at Schearbs – hey ended up releasing him. And what about Theo’s first pick, Albert Almora Jr? Bryant obviously worked out but Baez was drafted under the previous regime. Meanwhile, Happ took many years to finally turn the corner. No pitchers, of course. And no catchers or 1st basemen. Addison Russell stopped hitting before his transgressions, so he wasn’t developing either. Sure, “we” got a title, and flags fly forever, but I’m not impressed by their drafting & development.
It makes perfect sense. They’re stack with position players. It was very smart to drafter pitchers.
Beat me to it. High risk, higher ceiling pitching, in particular has been something the cubs have shied away from in recent years. Gotta love the approach with all that hitting depth in the minors. Obviously more to come with the next wave of trades too.
All that hitting is in the low minors, which is pretty much saying the Cubs have a bunch of lottery tickets.
The point is, they have a lot of positional talent in the lower minors and not enough roster spots. Pitching depth has been their issue for years and this is how you address it. And by the way, with the exception of maybe a hand full of players, every team’s prospects in the lower minors are “lottery tickets”.
Lower minors?
Morel and Velazquez are in the MLB, Mervis in AAA, Slaughter, Canario and Roederer in AA.
That’s not the lower minors.
Oh Ryan. Most of these top 100 prospects in the game are “lottery tickets” (low minors)
The closest comp most draft experts had Horon’s skill set was Ohtani, but most give Horton a higher ceiling primarily due to his speed.
The Cubs have been so successful with the draft in the recent past I’m sure this one will fit right in. Ok now everyone tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. Be sure to mention the one or two starting players they developed. Please. Can’t wait.
Happ, horner, and shwarber. Cease turned out solid too.