Former Norman High and Oklahoma Sooner, Cade Horton picked up what should be his first postseason award on Thursday as The Sporting News named him their NL Rookie of the Year for the 2025 season.

The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) will name their postseason award winners in November when the World Series is over and Horton is considered the front runner for that award as well. That one is important because if Horton finishes in the top 2 of that award’s voting, he will be credited with a full year of service for 2025 making him eligible for free agency a year earlier.

What makes The Sporting News award significant is that it is voted upon by 320 MLB players, so Horton is thought of highly among his peers.

Here is what The Sporting News wrote about Horton:

The Chicago Cubs‘ rotation took an early hit when Justin Steele went down with a season-ending elbow injury, but rookie starter Cade Horton stepped in and stepped up after joining the unit in May.

The former first-round pick out of Oklahoma posted a 2.67 ERA across 22 starts and one relief appearance, allowing 10 home runs in 118 innings and posting a 1.09 WHIP.

Horton only improved as the season went on. He flipped a switch in July, pitching to a stellar 1.03 ERA over his final 12 starts and allowing more than one earned run only once over that span. While not a heavy swing-and-miss pitcher, Horton mastered the art of soft contact and gave the Cubs another reliable rotation arm as they pursued a postseason berth.

While an injury kept Horton off the mound in October, the right-hander’s excellent regular season makes him the Cubs’ first Sporting News Rookie of the Year since Kris Bryant in 2015. 

For a look at the complete list of winners from The Sporting News: click here.

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