To compliment the acquisition of second baseman Cesar Hernandez from Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox added ammunition to the bullpen in a second deal Thursday afternoon. Cubs right-hander Ryan Tepera is headed to the south side in exchange for 23-year-old left-handed starter Bailey Horn. In 43 appearances, Tepera owns a 2.91 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 50 strikeouts to 12 walks across 43.1 innings in 2021.
Horn spent two years at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas before joining Auburn as a redshirt sophomore in 2019. Prior to his Division I debut, the lefty needed Tommy John surgery in January of 2018. He went on to make 22 appearances (nine starts) at Auburn and earned a spot in the rotation in 2020, but only managed 17.1 innings across four starts before the college baseball season was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The White Sox were able to snag Horn in the fifth and final round of the unique 2020 MLB Amateur Draft. Following the pick, Mike Shirley, who was in his first season as Director of Amateur Scouting at the time, noted:
He’s got a lot of things that we valued. Big, power arm, left-handed, great fastball-breaking ball mix. He’s been up to 95 with that fastball and it’s got good vertical carry. We also really liked his makeup being a junior college pitcher and going through that grind to having success at Auburn. He’s going to get a chance to solidify himself as a starter, but his intangibles and how he uses his stuff is only going to move him forward quickly.
Horn has spent nearly the entirety of his first professional season as a starter. He made two relief appearances following a brief stint on the injured list in early May. Across six starts for the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, Horn allowed three earned runs over 24.1 innings pitched. He was promoted to Advanced-A Winston-Salem on July 1.
In a June 8 start for Kannapolis, Horn was sitting 94-to-96 mph and flashed 98 on his fastball that offered slight arm-side run. The lefty operates with a 6-foot-2, 210 pound frame with an improving slider and a 55-grade changeup.
There is mid-rotation upside to Horn with a reliever floor. As he continues to adjust to Minor League Baseball in his first professional season, expect Horn to develop quickly with an estimated time of arrival to the majors in 2023.
We wish Bailey the best of luck, but only when he’s not pitching against the White Sox.
Photo credit: Anders Johanson/FutureSox
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