Meet Rachel Folden, a female coach in the Chicago Cubs organization
Rachel Folden is the co-hitting coach for the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.
The way Iowa Cubs pitcher Cade Horton has been throwing, it seemed like only a matter of time before he got his shot to pitch in the big leagues.
The time appears to have arrived.
Horton, following a strong start to the season, is expected to join the Chicago Cubs for their road trip to New York this weekend, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told the Register.
The 23-year-old hard-throwing right-hander has been dominant with Triple-A Iowa, going 2-1 with a 1.24 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 33 strikeouts across 29 innings.
Expectations have been high for Horton since Chicago selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft with the seventh overall pick out of Oklahoma.
Thanks a mid- to high-90s fastball and a wipeout slider, Horton rapidly rose through the minors and made his Triple-A debut in 2024.
But because of a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder, Horton missed a significant portion of the 2024 season. But he’s come back this season and pitched better than ever.
Horton is listed as the top pitching prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline. The site also lists him as the second-best player in the Cubs organization.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468
