The Kane County Cougars are a Class A Minor League Baseball team, affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks, that plays in the Midwest League. Their home games are played at Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva, Illinois, about 35 miles west of Chicago.
Team History
The Midwest League came to Kane County in 1991 when the Wausau Timbers relocated to Geneva, IL. The Wausau (1975-1990) Midwest League franchise was previously based in Decatur, Illinois (1952â€"74). The team has 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. Miguel Cabrera has had a notable career and 2003 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 Northwestern Medicine Field, 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. Nancy Faust, after 40 years with the Chicago White Sox, was the stadium organist for selected Cougar home games until her retirement after the 2015 season.
Playoffs
Mascots
The team's mascots are Ozzie T. Cougar and his sister Annie T. Cougar.
Roster
Team affiliations
Notable Kane County Alumni
Notable franchise alumni with the Decatur Commodores and the Wausau Timbers:
References
External links
- Kane County Cougars web site
- The Baseball Cube - Kane County Cougars Historical Statistics