🎙️ CubsPS+ #109: Cade Horton, Pitch Counts, and Pitching Depth w/ Bryan Smith

This week, I welcomed back Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) to dive deep into Cade Horton’s development, minor league pitch counts, and how the Cubs are juggling a fragile pitching staff in 2025.

Forget 109 pitches in a game—Bryan and I talk about why Horton never even touched 80 in the minors, and whether that’s coming back to bite him now in the big leagues. We also hit on how the Cubs are adjusting their development philosophy, what that means for the future, and how a guy like Ben Brown is outpacing expectations (and pitch limits).

🔹 What we covered:

Why Cade Horton stopped at exactly 79 pitches... like, a lot

How the Cubs’ minor league philosophy may have hurt—or helped—Horton’s MLB transition

Pitching development: The evolution of workloads, pitch counts, and arm health

The Tyler Zombro effect and how the Cubs are reshaping their bullpen weapons

Insights on Ben Brown, Daniel Palencia, and Porter Hodge stepping up

Current state of Cubs starting pitching depth—and why it’s dangerously thin

Bryan's take on Iowa arms like Will Sanders, Peter Solomon, and who’s closest to Wrigley

Why Jamo’s changeup might be influencing Cade Horton more than you think

A fun riff on how scoring runs and hitting with RISP are actually good ideas!

🧠 Plus, we chat about the psychology of young pitchers, lessons from Little League arm care, and what the Cubs might do down the stretch with so many pitchers on innings limits.

💬 Join the conversation on BlueSky and the 1060West Discord with Bryan and other die-hard Cubs fans!

📲 Follow the show & never miss an episode:

Twitter/X: @CubsPSplus @Bleacher_Bunch @Cubprospects

Discord: 1060West community (ask for an invite!) and Bleacher Bunch (become a Patreon supporter!)

🧢 Go Cubs—and may our pitch counts rise carefully, and our playoff chances even more.

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