Horton making strong case for Rookie of the Year
CHICAGO -- Back in Spring Training, Cubs manager Craig Counsell predicted that rookie Cade Horton would find his way to the big leagues and handle important innings this season. Horton’s arrival in May was quicker than anticipated, but the righty stepped in when Chicago had a need and has not looked back.
Now, as the Cubs head into September with postseason positioning on the line, Horton is an emerging Rookie of the Year candidate in the National League and will be taking the ball as a key piece to the team’s pitching staff.
“It means a lot,” Horton said. “But at the end of the day, you just have to go out there and shrink the moment down like it’s just another baseball game. It’s another outing. I feel like when you kind of make the moment bigger than what it is, that’s when things get out of hand. So, it’s just shrinking the moment and making it about one pitch.”
That is a mature mentality for a 24-year-old pitcher who has appeared in only 19 Major League games to date, but that has been a theme this year for Horton. Counsell has described the young righty as a “clear-headed competitor” similar to veteran starter Justin Steele.
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Counsell said that is an impressive trait for a rookie.
“Absolutely. I think that’s probably why I’ve said it so many times,” Counsell said. “You kind of hear it from the other side once in a while. So, it’s kind of noticeable to the other team, too, kind of how he’s going about his business. And that’s a real credit to Cade.”
Since July 1, Horton has turned in a 1.34 ERA, which was second among qualified MLB pitchers in that span, trailing only Trevor Rogers (1.19 ERA) of the Orioles entering Sunday. For perspective, NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes has logged a 1.92 ERA in that same time period. Horton has allowed one or fewer runs in eight of his 10 starts in that stretch.
Those 10 starts are particularly notable, given that it is a run that immediately follows Horton’s rough road outing (seven runs in four innings) against the Astros on June 27. The righty was blunt in his self-assessment after that game and went to work on identifying what went wrong, including admitting to being caught up in the playoff-like environment.
“He quickly recognized, ‘I got out of my process,’” Cubs veteran Matthew Boyd said. “I’m sure it was very palpable in the moment. But in the next five days, the ability to course correct and have that honest conversation about, ‘This is what I did, this is what I wish I did, and this is how I can correct it going forward,’ we’re seeing the fruits of it. He’s just been on such a roll since.”
The Rookie of the Year field in the NL is crowded with no clear favorite at the moment, giving Horton a chance to further assert himself in that race.
In a recent MLB.com poll, Braves catcher Drake Baldwin garnered the most votes, but the Brewers have a few contenders in Isaac Collins, Caleb Durbin, Chad Patrick and Jacob Misiorowski. Jack Dreyer and Hyeseong Kim of the Dodgers are in the mix, along with a handful of others around the league.
If Horton stays on his current pace – the righty is currently 9-4 with a 2.92 ERA in 98 2/3 innings – he could continue to see his stock climb as the Cubs close in on a playoff berth.
“What he’s been able to do is so impressive,” Boyd said. “You throw in the fact that he’s a young pitcher on top of that and you go, ‘Wow, I wish I had the maturity that he has at that age.’ It took me multiple years to gain that maturity. He’s been integral for us. There’s no other way to say it. We wouldn’t be where we are without Cade.”
Raiders Rocked by Injury Update: Star Could Miss Patriots Clash
Week 1 is here for the Las Vegas Raiders and the Pete Carroll era. While their wide receiver group is a work in progress following the arrival of Amari Cooper to go along with the promising rookies and veteran Jakobi Meyers, the unit might not have to face one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL.
The Raiders will travel to Gillette Stadium for a matchup with the New England Patriots, who are beginning a new era of their own as Mike Vrabel took over as head coach this past offseason.
Nonetheless, New England could be without a key player on their defense after Vrabel provided an injury update on Christian Gonzalez, who did not practice on September 1, per the Boston Herald.
“Well, it just hasn’t gone — again, (Gonzalez) ‘s working hard,” Vrabel said. “Whether it’s, say, one injury is going to be three to four weeks, one’s going to be one to two, everybody heals differently.”
Christian Gonzalez Working to Get Ready for Raiders
Gonzalez injured his left hamstring during training camp on July 28 and hasn’t been on the field since. It’s September 1, and not practicing and gearing up for Week 1 is a setback for the cornerback.
However, there’s still the rest of the week, as he could work his way to being a game-time decision against Las Vegas. Nonetheless, Vrabel shared details of what he’s seeing from the Patriots’ cornerback.
“(He’s) working hard and trying to improve, and he wants to be out there,“ Vrabel added. “I think it’s good for us, and for Christian and the team, trying not to be frustrated.
“Obviously those things happen, and it’s how we respond to them, it’s how hard we work to get back, the communication, all the things that he’s doing. So (he’s) continued to work hard to get back, and we’re trying to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to help him.”
In his second season in the NFL, Gonzalez recorded 11 passes defended and two interceptions, so the Raiders might avoid having to face this lockdown defender to allow for their receivers to have the opportunity to get open for veteran quarterback Geno Smith.
Will Amari Cooper Be Ready for Week 1?
Carroll will have a revamped wide receiver group with the newly signed Cooper being the latest addition. Moreover, Meyers will return to New England to face the Patriots after spending the first four years of his career there.
Ahead of this contest, Caroll gave an update on Cooper and the rest of the group as they prepare for Week 1.
“Well, he’s been a great player,” Caroll said on August 28. “He’s been a great performer. He’s made a ton of big plays in big situations. It’s not beyond his scope to come up and make the clutch play at the right time. He’s big and strong, runs fantastic routes, and has always been a playmaker. So, we thought a chance to add a guy like that with experience, really to help our young guys, might really suit us well.
“And so, for Dont’e (Thornton) on the outside, they’ll be doing a lot of the same stuff. I think Amari’s (Cooper) way can affect him and help him come along. There’s a lot of pressure for him to be the only X over there that we’re kind of going with, and so I think this really balances us out well. And I hope it really suits Jack (Bech) and Dont’e.”
