Cade Horton has become so cerebral in his process that he rarely looks too far into the future or takes time to appreciate his accomplishments.

“I got to start in six days and face the same lineup and so go out there and do it again,” Horton said after his last outing against the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 3. “Just never really getting complacent.”

But every so often, he does let his thoughts drift. He pictures himself taking the ball to start a playoff game for the Cubs, with the bright lights on him and the pressure ratcheted up.

“I think that’s kind of where my mind wanders to sometimes,” Horton said. “Everybody wants to be in the big moment. And so, yeah, naturally, I do go to that place.”

He always, though, catches himself.

“I have to stay present in the work that I put in each and every day and continue to build for the next start,” Horton said.

It’s that mentality that’s allowed him to make the difficult transition from top prospect to immediate, key contributor at the big-league level. That isn’t easy to do, especially as a starter.

Take, for example, Kumar Rocker, the No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft – four spots ahead of Horton – who has a 5.45 ERA in 17 big-league starts. Jack Leiter, the No. 2 pick in the draft the year before, has a 4.85 ERA in 34 big-league games.

The majors are hard, and the mental aspect of the game is real. But Horton’s ability to master that and build on his strengths has helped create an avenue where he can not only survive but prosper.

It first came through after the lowest point of his rookie campaign. On June 27, he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits with two home runs in four innings of work.

“I got my a– kicked,” Horton said after that outing, vowed to improve and then did.

He has a 1.23 ERA in 11 starts since that outing, emerging not only as a solid starter for the Cubs rotation, but a frontline caliber pitcher who has thrust himself into the conversation to start in a potential Wild Card Series.

Shota Imanaga is and has been the Cubs ace. And, despite a rocky first inning in Monday’s loss to Atlanta, he still delivered a quality start and may likely kick off the playoff campaign for the Cubs.

But “likely” is the operative word there because you can make a strong argument that Horton should get the ball in a Game 1. Since the All-Star break, Horton is sporting a 0.77 ERA in 47 innings with 44 strikeouts and has used that run to propel himself into the conversation for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

And he’s done so with a clear-headed mentality of just trying to be a little bit better each time. When you’re that good, that makes you even harder to beat.

“He’s one of those guys where each and every start, he’s looking for one way to get better,” catcher Reese McGuire said after his last outing. “He’s never satisfied, and that’s the beautiful thing about the way he goes about his game. He’s very hard on himself.

“And so I’m sure going into his next bullpen, I’m sure there will be something that stood out that he wants to be better at and look forward to him taking the ball again.”