Cubs pitcher Cade Horton’s viral fastball explained by “Pitching Ninja”
Better known as “Pitching Ninja,” Rob Friedman is a self-described “pitching guru” providing pitching analysis for MLB, FOX Sports and more.
Friedman will often post clips of the nastiest pitches from MLB hurlers, and Cubs rookie has joined that list.
Horton made headlines for the dramatic late movement on his fastball against the Colorado Rockies on May 27, which caught both Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon and Cubs catcher Reese McGuire by surprise.
[MORE: Cade Horton’s funky fastball goes viral after Cubs’ win over Rockies]
It caught Friedman by surprise, too, as he told Marquee Sports Network’s Lance Brozdowski on the Cubs Weekly Podcast.
“The Cade Horton (pitch) totally jumped out at me,” Friedman said. “That doesn’t look normal.”
Horton explained after the game that he had thrown a regular four-seam fastball that wasn’t intended to cut the way that it did. Nevertheless, the pitch did enough to pique Friedman’s interest, and he shared the clip with his roughly 537,000 followers. Even Horton was aware that he had made his debut on the popular social-media account.
“To validate you as a creator, Cade knew he was on ‘Pitching Ninja,'” Brozdowski told Friedman.
For Friedman, Horton’s pitch was one that he was talking about for hours.
“If I see something (where) I’m like, ‘Whoa!’, almost every time, everybody else is like ‘Whoa!,'” Friedman said. “You don’t know how excited I get, where, hours later, I’m showing my son or showing my wife.”
Horton, who made his MLB debut with the Cubs on May 10, has slotted into an ailing Chicago rotation and is already making a name for himself. He has a 3.51 ERA in his five appearances, and the Cubs are unbeaten in every single one. In his four starts, he holds a 2-0 record with a 3.74 ERA over 21.2 innings pitched.
Friedman said what has impressed him about the 22-year-old right-hander in his young career so far.
“It’s basically the cutting fastball at that velo,” Friedman said. “I like his mannerisms on the mound — I think he shoves, pounds the zone.”
Horton’s unique repertoire, highlighted by that cutting fastball, is one reason why Friedman sees Horton as one to watch.
“If it’s unique to me, it’s unique to a hitter,” Friedman said. “I think he’s got a pretty high ceiling — I enjoy watching him pitch.”
