CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs tonight selected right-handed pitcher Cade Horton out of the University of Oklahoma with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Horton was recommended by area scout Ty Nichols.
Horton, 20, garnered Freshman All-American honors from Baseball America and D1Baseball.com following the 2022 season in which he went 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA and notched 49 strikeouts against six walks in five postseason starts, beginning with the Big 12 Championship Game. He averaged 14.22 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in the postseason, allowing two-or-fewer runs in all five outings.
The six-foot one-inch, 211-pound Horton went 5-2 with a 4.86 ERA (29 ER/53.2 IP) in 14 games (11 starts) overall in 2022. He recorded 64 strikeouts, compared to 15 walks, good for 10.73 strikeouts per 9.0 innings. He also played 25 games at third base and four at shortstop, hitting .235 (34-for-145) with six doubles, two triples, a home run and 17 RBI.
Horton missed the entire 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He graduated from Norman (Okla.) High School where he was named a 2019 Perfect Game All-American in baseball and he also played quarterback.
The 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continues tonight with round 2 and tomorrow with rounds 3-10, before concluding on Tuesday with rounds 11-20.
