Article: Cubs Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month - April 2024

[Seth Stohs]

The Cubs have their fair share of high-quality, high-ceiling hitting prospects. However, seeing a top pitching prospect work his way through the system is really exciting. With news of Cade Horton's promotion to Triple-A Iowa, take a look at his April. 

Image courtesy of Tennessee Smokies

It is always interesting to see the different types of pitchers that show up on these monthly reports. You will often have a veteran in Triple-A, and you’ve got a couple of lower-level prospects who haven’t been talked about enough yet. And there is usually at least one elite prospect to make the list. There can be some variance in that, but generally speaking, the fun part about doing these rankings can be seeing those different ways of finding success. 

You’ll see some of those things this month, but right now the highlight of the day is that top pitching prospect Cade Horton not only earned a promotion to Triple-A Iowa, but he did so by earning the North Side Baseball Cubs Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. 

Honorable Mention
RHP Chris Clarke - Iowa Cubs - 5 GS, 2.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 18 H, 10 BB, 15 K
LHP Drew Gray - Myrtle Beach Pelicans - 4 GS, 1.59 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 11.1 IP, 4 H, 14 BB, 20 K

Top Four Relief Pitchers for April 2024

#4. LHP Thomas Pannone - Iowa Cubs - 6 GS, 2.73 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 29.2 IP, 30 H, 7 BB, 28 K
Way back in 2012, the Cubs used their 33rd round pick in the draft to select a left-hander from Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island. I’m sure you’ll guess that pitcher was Thomas Pannone. He didn’t sign at that time, opting to attend the College of Southern Nevada instead. A year later, Cleveland made him their ninth-round pick. Still so young, he spent two seasons in the Arizona League, but after that, he moved consistently up the organizational ladder. 

At the July 31, 2017, trade deadline, he was traded to the Blue Jays in a deal for Joe Smith. Just over a year later, he made his MLB debut for Toronto. He pitched in 12 games that season and then in 37 games in 2019. In 2020, he was DFAd. It has been a series of one-year deals since then. He spent 2021 with the Angels and 2022 with the Red Sox. When he got released, he went to Korea and made 14 starts for the Kia Tigers.

He signed with the Brewers for the 2023 season. He pitched 2 2/3 innings for Milwaukee and a day later was DFAd. The Brewers released him July 5 and he signed a deal to return to Kia for the remainder of the season The Cubs signed him to a minor-league deal on December 18. In his first three starts this season, he gave up just one total run over 15 2/3 innings. He had back-to-back mediocre starts against Louisville before ending the month by giving up one run over five innings against Buffalo. 

Pannone fits that veteran lefty model. He throws five pitches, but he throws a very large percentage of cutters in the mid-80s (85-87). His four-seam fastball typically sits 87-89 mph though occasionally it reaches over 90. He has a very slow, low-70s curveball that has a very similar pitch movement as the slider which sits in the low-80s. He averaged 3-5 inches of vertical movement on the cutter and gets 4-6 inches of vertical movement in the other direction. And, his changeup, while I think it would be better if it had more velocity differential compared to his fastball, but it gets a lot of arm-side run. 

3. RHP Sam Armstrong - South Bend Cubs - 4 G, 2 GS, 0.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 14.0 IP, 9 H, 6 BB, 10 K
Armstrong grew up in New Jersey and attended High Point Regional High School. He spent two years at County College of Morris before heading to Old Dominion for the past two seasons. Last year, he went 9-4 with a 3.51 ERA over 15 starts. The Cubs selected him in the 13th round of the draft. After a one-inning appearance in the ACL, he moved up to Myrtle Beach where he worked 13 2/3 innings over eight appearances out of the bullpen. 

With that in mind, Armstrong began the 2024 season at High-A South Bend. I categorized him as a starter because two of his four games pitched have been starts. He also ate up 14 innings over his four total outings. It is pretty impressive to have that long of a stretch without giving up a run (earned or unearned). He barely gave up a baserunner per inning and has 12.2 K/9. Armstrong stands 6-2 and is a bulky 245 pounds. 

2. RHP Juan Bello - Myrtle Beach Pelicans - 4 GS, 1.84 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 7 H, 9 BB, 21 K
It’s been one step at a time for Bello since the Cubs signed him from Colombia in January of 2022. He spent that summer in the Dominican Summer League. Last year, he posted a 10.38 ERA in four games in the ACL. So, it was rather surprising for the Cubs to push him all the way up to Low-A Myrtle Beach.  

At times, he can fight his control and command at times, he also has a great ability to miss bats and get himself out of tough situations. He’s still incredibly young, 20, but he’s certainly worth watching. In 2022 in the DSL, he was part of a unique no-hitter. Not only did Bello and his DSL Cubs staff throw a no hitter, but so did their opponent.   

1. RHP Cade Horton - Tennessee Smokies - 4 GS, 1.10 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 13 H, 2 BB, 18 K
The big news on Monday was that the Cubs had promoted their top pitching prospect - Horton - to Triple-A Iowa after just four starts at Double-A this year. With the Cubs starting pitching situation, it may not be long before he gets the big promotion to the big leagues. 

Horton grew up in Oklahoma City where he became a tremendous high school baseball and football player. He signed on to play at the University of Oklahoma but also was a preferred walk-on on the football team. How good was he in football? In his senior season, the quarterback passed for 3,084 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,149 yards and 15 touchdowns. Unfortunately before his freshman season, he hurt his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery and missed that full season. He returned as a part-time third baseman and threw some in relief. He was fairly quickly moved to the starting rotation and helped lead Oklahoma to the College World Series finals!  

Following the College World Series, the Cubs used the seventh-overall pick in 2022 on Horton. He has been a consensus Top 30 prospect since signing. Despite efforts to limit his pitches and his innings, Horton has flown through the organization. Now he’s just one step from the big leagues. 

Horton stands just 6-1, but he is strong and athletic (as you would expect from a Division I caliber quarterback). Horton has a big-time fastball that sits in the 95-97 range, but he has hit 99 on several occasions. It is a pitch that has a chance to be really good, especially at the top of the strike zone. His best pitch, however, is his slider on most days. When on, it can be really sharp and biting. When he throws his curveball slowly, like in the low ‘80s, it can be very effective. He has a changeup as well. He doesn’t use it real often but it can be an effective pitch, especially when used with the slider. The slider cuts away from a right-handed hitter while the change does get some fade down and in on a right-handed hitter. 

Now Horton joins an Iowa starting staff that includes Pannone and Clarke. They have already had 12 pitchers make at least one start for them in the season’s first month. They have added the likes of veterans Julio Teheran and Dan Straily since the start of the season. 

There are several question marks with the Cubs big-league starting rotation after Shota Imanaga. Honestly, I don’t think it would surprise too many Cubs people if Horton’s time in Des Moines isn’t very long. 

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Congratulations to Cade Horton on a nice first month of the season, being named the Cubs Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month and being promoted to Triple-A. The Cubs have a bunch of hitting prospects. It's fun to see their top pitching prospect doing well and working his way up the ladder, now one step away from the big leagues. 

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