Cade Horton Had Just About the Silliest Spring Training Start You Can Possibly Have (Complimentary) - Bleacher Nation

"Horton, facing a Cleveland Guardians lineup with a number of regulars in it, threw 5.0 innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and a walk, while striking out ... TEN! He got TWENTY-ONE whiffs on 72 pitches! He touched NINETY-NINE miles per hour! It was about as silly as a Spring Training start can get, and I mean that very much as a compliment."

"Batters hit just 6-for-52 (.115) with 19 K and a 47.8% whiff rate against Cade Horton's changeup last season. Of the 129 MLB pitchers who threw at least 200 changeups in 2025, Horton's 47.8% whiff rate was the 3rd-highest."

"Cade Horton threw five pitches at least once, and four of them (four-seamer, slider, curveball, changeup) at least eight times. I tend to think those four will be his primary mix this year, and if the changeup is as good as it was looking by the end of his season, at least three of those pitches are going to border on plus-plus."

Cade Horton pitched 5.0 innings of one-run ball against Cleveland, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out ten batters on 72 pitches with a 99 mph fastball. He generated 21 whiffs and demonstrated command of four primary pitches: four-seamer, slider, curveball, and changeup. His changeup ranked third among MLB pitchers in whiff rate at 47.8% last season. The performance represented a "max compete" outing where Horton and his coaching staff evaluated his capabilities at peak intensity. This penultimate spring start showcased significant improvement following a previous rough outing, with three of his four pitches potentially reaching plus-plus quality.

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