The odds makers like Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Cade Horton to win the National League 2025 Rookie of the Year award.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Horton is the leading candidate for the award at +160. Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Isaac Collins is currently in second at +180, and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin is third at +200 odds. DraftKings Sportsbooks has it in the same order with Horton (+140), Collins (+180) and Baldwin (+240).

FanDuel Sportsbook views this as a three-man race because the next closest player is Cubs’ third baseman Matt Shaw at +3000. Although Collins and Baldwin have put together impressive rookie seasons up to this point, here is why Horton is deserving of the award.

Horton currently has an 8-4 record, 2.88 ERA, 77 strikeouts and 1.16 WHIP. Comparing those numbers to the current leaders in the National League, Horton’s 2.88 ERA would slot him at eighth best, even though it is a far smaller sample size than the rest of the pitchers. Still, it shows the body of work Horton has established throughout this 2025 season.

But it wasn’t an easy start for the former No. 7 overall pick out of Oklahoma in the 2022 MLB Draft.

Horton made his MLB debut against the New York Mets on May 10. In that game, Horton took over in the second inning for Brad Keller, who opened for the Cubs.

Horton pitched four innings, gave up four hits and three earned runs while also striking out five batters in the Cubs’ 6-5 victory. The 24-year-old right hander went on to pitch four total games in May — ending with 16 strikeouts and a 3.98 ERA in 20.1 innings.

Then there was June — a month that wasn’t too kind for the rookie. In five games, Horton pitched 24.2 innings, gave up 30 hits, 20 runs and posted a 5.47 ERA. Against the Houston Astros on June 27, Horton lasted just four innings after giving up eight hits and seven runs.

Horton didn’t get another opportunity to pitch until early July and that is when the rookie started to find his rhythm.

In his July 3 start against the Cleveland Guardians, Horton gave up zero runs, struck out five batters and allowed five hits in the Cubs’ 1-0 victory in extra innings. The rookie right-hander pitched four times in July and finished with a 1.52 ERA and gave up four runs, which all occurred in one game against the Minnesota Twins.

The positive momentum continued going into August. He currently has a 0.72 ERA and has given up 12 hits, two earned runs and has 27 strikeouts in 25 innings. Outside of Horton’s outing against the Brewers on Aug. 18, when he pitched just 2.2 innings and allowed a home run and three of the next four batters to reach base before leaving with a blister on his right middle finger in the third inning, he made life difficult for opposing batters.

The Cubs have been careful with Horton’s workload, as he missed most of last season due to injury and pitched just 34.1 innings. But he has been so efficient with his pitch count that he is routinely pitching into the fifth or sixth inning despite not topping 82 pitches in an outing since July.

If he keeps this up, it could be an easy decision for the BBWAA writers voting for the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year.