Kane County Cougars

Kane County Cougars
Founded in 1991
Geneva, Illinois
Team logoCap insignia
Class-level
Current Single-A
Minor league affiliations
League Midwest League
Division Western Division
Major league affiliations
Current Arizona Diamondbacks (2015-present)
Previous
Minor league titles
League titles 2001, 2014
Division titles 2001, 2004, 2006, 2014
Team data
Nickname Kane County Cougars
Ballpark Fifth Third Bank Ballpark
Manager Mark Grudzielanek
General manager Curtis Haug
Kane County Cougars, playing the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Fox Cities Stadium on June 9, 2006.

The Kane County Cougars are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks,[1] that plays in the Midwest League. Their home games are played in Geneva, Illinois, about 35 miles west of Chicago.

The Midwest League came to Kane County in 1991 after a franchise that was previously based in Decatur, Illinois (1952–74) and Wausau, Wisconsin (1975–90) relocated there. While they have always been known as the Cougars since moving to Kane County, they were affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles in 1991 and 1992, with the Florida Marlins from 1993 to 2002, the Oakland Athletics from 2003 until 2010, and with the Kansas City Royals for the 2011 and 2012 seasons before joining the Chicago Cubs for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

As a Marlins farm team some key contributors to the 2003 World Series championship team played in Kane County on their way to the big leagues. Series MVP Josh Beckett played for the Cougars in 2000, while Dontrelle Willis had the league's best winning percentage and earned run average in 2002.

The Cougars play their home games at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, built in 1991. The franchise attendance record of 523,222 was set in 2001. The Cougars are perennially among the league leaders in attendance. On July 20, 2013 the Cougars became the first Class A team to attract 10 million fans.[2]

Trevor Gretzky, son of Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones, made his debut with the Cougars on August 17, 2013, and played 14 games. Taken 219th overall in the 2011 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, he began the 2013 season with the Boise Hawks, playing 27 games.[3]

Roster

Kane County Cougars roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 36 Nick Baker
  • 16 Zac Curtis
  • 23 Cody Geyer
  • 29 Tom Jameson
  • 19 Bud Jeter
  • 20 Brent Jones
  • 44 Brad Keller
  • 40 Mason McCullough
  • 26 Jefferson Mejia
  • 38 Jared Miller
  • 17 Luis Ramirez
  • 25 Markus Solbach
  • 22 Jency Solis

Catchers

Infielders

  •  1 Sergio Alcantara
  • 14 Marty Herum
  • 33 Steve McQuail
  • 21 Joe Munoz
  •  2 Fernery Ozuna
  • 18 Cody Regis

Outfielders

  •  8 Colin Bray
  • 32 Grant Heyman
  •  5 Scott Kalamar
  • 11 Chuck Taylor

Manager

Coaches


7-day disabled list
* On Arizona Diamondbacks 40-man roster
∞ Reserve list
§ Suspended list
‡ Restricted list
# Rehab assignment
Roster updated April 9, 2015
Transactions
→ More MiLB rosters
→ Arizona Diamondbacks minor league players

Team affiliations

Level Team League Location
Major League Arizona Diamondbacks National League Phoenix, Arizona
AAA Reno Aces Pacific Coast League Reno, Nevada
AA Mobile BayBears Southern League Mobile, Alabama
Advanced A Visalia Rawhide California League Visalia, California
A Kane County Cougars Midwest League Geneva, Illinois
Short Season A Hillsboro Hops Northwest League Hillsboro, Oregon
Rookie Missoula Osprey Pioneer League Missoula, Montana

References

  1. ↑ "Cougars Announce Affiliation With Arizona Diamondbacks". Kane County Cougars. September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-22/news/ct-tl-geneva-10-millionth-cougar-20130725_1_elfstrom-general-manager-curtis-haug-minor-league-baseball
  3. ↑ "Cougars Insider: Trevor Gretzky Working on His Own Game" The Beacon News, August 20, 2013 retrieved January 17, 2014

External links

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