Minor League Hot or Not: Cade Horton Is On Fire

[Jason Ross]

Image courtesy of © Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cubs are in the best-case scenario with many of their prospects. The parent club is so good that there aren't many spots for their guys to break through. This isn't a bad thing, as we could see this week with Cade Horton. It means that the team isn't forcing prospects into spots that they're not ready for, or with an expectation that they save the team. Instead, they're taking these talents and surrounding them with a strong team—which, in turn, will allow these players to fill roles of lesser importance when an injury occurs. A little extra development never hurt anyone. 

Overall Farm Grade: 🥶
Being fair, it's been less than a perfect week. A few players had a bit of a rough go, and they're the best names in the system. Moises Ballesteros saw his hit streak end. Jaxon Wiggins struggled a bit. South Bend, despite having an interesting roster, cannot buy wins. It happens, but you'd like to see it not happen, if you had your choice. Not every week can be a winner.

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Iowa Cubs, Triple-A (3-3)
Up next: @Toledo Mudhens (Cleveland Guardians)

🔥 Cade Horton, SP: 6 IP, 5K, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 ER: He's probably ready. This was the second time in as many weeks that Horton faced off against the Bisons, and once again, he looked sharp. The walks are behind him, as Horton threw 56% of his pitches in the zone. He generated 11 whiffs, and looked pretty dominant. I wouldn't be surprised if this was his last start with the I-Cubs for a while. 

🤷‍♂️ Owen Caissie - OF: 112 wRC+, 43.5 K%, 17.4 BB%, 3 2b, 1 3b: Caissie has had a strange year in many ways. Since last July, he's pulling the baseball much more, hitting it in the air and really getting to his power. It's come with the cost of the contact rate plunging ever further, though. He's turning more and more into a three-true-outcome guy, but he will probably BABIP pretty well, as he's has shown a consistent ability in that regard.

🔥 Jonathon Long, 1b/DH - 167 wRC+, 18.5 K%, 7.4 BB%, 1 2b, 1 HR: Long was a Statcast darling entering the year and has absolutely crushed Triple-A arms so far. The only issue for him is his position; he's probably a first baseman who might moonlight a little at third base or DH. If the Cubs pull the plug on Justin Turner, there has been a lot of talk about Ballesteros coming up, but I think Long is the better Turner replacement. Keep an eye on him.

🥶 Kevin Alcantara, OF: 76 wRC+, 22.7 K%, 9.1 BB%, 2 2b: It hasn't been a torrid start for the Jaguar this year. He's been doing damage on fastballs but has struggled on breaking pitches. He's always had that issue, and he did (at least) keep his strikeout rate under control last week, but the full picture is of a player whose offensive skill set is still fairly raw.

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Knoxville Smokies, Double-A (2-3)
Up next: vs Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians)

🥶 Brett Bateman, OF - 19 wRC+, 30 K%, 5 BB%, 1 2b: There are some interesting skills here. I just don't know if the the contact-only skillset is going to play at the highest level. He's had a strong enough season, with a 109 wRC+, so this week is more aberration than it is the norm.

🥶 Will Sanders, SP - 5 IP, 5K, 3 BB, 3 R: Sanders is in a bit of an up-down cycle right now, alternating good starts and weaker starts over the last few. He's one of the few arms of consequence in Knoxville right now, which makes the mediocre ones stand out a bit more than if he were in, say, Iowa.

🥶 Grant Kipp, SP - 5 IP, 4 K, 0 BB, 4 ER, 4 R: Kipp's had back-to-back clunkers after starting the year really well. The slider is a pitch by stuff models, and ultimately, I think he's more of a reliever than a starter. Hopefully, he can start looking a bit more like the guy he did a few weeks ago

🔥 Pedro Ramirez, INF - 136 wRC+, 20 K%, 10 BB% 2 2b: Finally, a positive out of Knoxville for the week! Ramírez got back to his normal ways, hitting a lot of singles and just being on base a lot. That's what he does best, and why he stays relevant. 

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South Bend Cubs, High-A (1-5) 
Up next: Fort Wayne Tincaps (San Diego Padres)

🔥 Jefferson Rojas, INF - 180 wRC+ 19.2 K%, 3.8 BB%, 2 HR, 1 2b: That's more like it. Rojas had a nice week and the power flash was awesome. Here's hoping he really takes off. He missed time this year, and if this is a signal of things to come, he could make a jump to Knoxville sometime. 

🔥 Ivan Brethwor, OF - 147 wRC+, 25.9 K%, 11.1 BB%, 1 HR, 1 2b: He just keeps hitting. Brethowr hit a towering home run this week, which was good to see. The approach has been strong, but the power hadn't really been flashing as often as you'd like. He also stole 2 bags; this is notable because he's a giant. He's been a fun find in the draft.

🔥 Carter Trice, OF - 181 wRC+, 5 K%, 30 BB%, 1 HR: How do you overcome a .231 batting average on the week? Hit a home run and walk 30% of the time. Trice has had a nice start at South Bend, with a 126 wRC+, and like Brethowr, he's eyeing a possible promotion to Knoxville at some stage in the season. 

🥶 Jaxon Wiggins, SP - 3 IP, 2 K, 3 BB, 2 ER, 4 R: Not his best appearance. Wiggins, used as a piggyback in this one, labored through the game in a way we hadn't seen this year. He's been so good you can ignore it, but you'd like to see these be the exception and not the rule. 

🥶 Cristian Hernandez, SS - 52 wRC+, 16.7 K%, 16.7 BB%, 1 2b: Hernandez has cooled off over the last few weeks, after a torrid start. The approach looks strong, and no one remains hot all year. It'd be great to see him take back off, however. 

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Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Low-A (2-3)
Up next: vs Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles)

🔥 Nazier Mule, SP - 5 IP, 5 K, 2 BB, 1 ER, 1 R: Mule is off to a pretty good start this year. He's had zero true blowups, and he's been far better than he was last season. His season ERA is well under 2.50, he's striking out over 26% of the hitters he's facing and his walks have been survivable, at 11.9%. A little more command refinement and he'll be ready for the Midwest League.

🥶 Cole Mathis, 1b/DH - 72 wRC+, 26.3 K%, 5.3 BB%, 1 3b: Myrtle Beach can be a tough environment in which to hit, especially early in the year, but I didn't expect Mathis to struggle out of the gates there. He's an experienced bat and has played well in the Cape. He's coming back from Tommy John surgery, but I was hoping for a little more out of him than the 109 wRC+ he's posted thus far. 

🔥Angel Cepeda, INF - 153 wRC+, 42.3 K%, 7.7 BB%, 1 2b, 2 HR: The youngster has struck out his fair share this year, but at age 19, it's pretty excusable to do that in April and May. He's been hitting the ball really hard in recent games, and is worth watching.

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What do you think of the Cubs prospects this week? Did I miss someone? Let us know in the comment section below!

 

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