BREAKING: With a 0.84 ERA since the break, Cade Horton has cemented himself as a serious NL Rookie of the Year contender.y1

Chicago – For the first half of the season, Cade Horton was considered a rough diamond for the Cubs, a rookie with a lot of potential but not yet established. But since the All-Star break, everything has changed. A mere 0.84 ERA, over more than two months of play, has transformed Horton from an unknown quantity to a serious candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year award – and even a real nightmare for any offensive lineman who dares to step up to the plate. On the field, Horton is a strange combination of cool composure and the burning fire of a rookie eager to prove himself. His 96-98 mph fastball cuts through the air like a knife, his slider is so sharp that many batters can only walk to the dugout with their heads down. The stats don’t lie: 2.70 season ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 89 strikeouts in 110 innings pitched. And the amazing thing is that things only get better as the pressure mounts.

“He doesn’t look like a rookie,” said one opposing coach. “He throws like a veteran who’s entering his prime.”

More than just numbers, Horton brings a warrior spirit to the Cubs. With Chicago needing a spark to keep its playoff hopes alive, every game Horton takes to the mound becomes a spectacle. Wrigley Field fans roar every time he hits a game-winning strike, and the atmosphere transforms the stadium into a fortress.

Horton’s story also adds to the appeal. A baseball-football talent in Oklahoma, Horton chose to stick with small ball all his life, and that journey is now starting to pay off. In just his rookie season, he has pundits asking: do the Cubs have a future ace on their hands?

This year’s NL Rookie of the Year race has been fierce, with plenty of bright names, but his 0.84 ERA since the All-Star break is clear evidence: Horton isn’t just “in”—he’s leading the charge.

With every pitch, every walk off the field to thunderous applause, Horton is writing a new chapter for himself and the Cubs. A chapter that few would have believed would come so quickly just a few months ago.

And if he keeps this up? The Rookie of the Year ticket might not be far from Chicago.