Kane County Cougars

Kane County Cougars Founded in 1991 Geneva, Illinois
Team Logo Cap Insignia
Class-level
Single-A
Minor league affiliations
Midwest League Western Division
Major league affiliations
Kansas City Royals (2011-Present) Oakland Athletics (2003-2010) Florida Marlins (1993-2002) Baltimore Orioles (1991-1992)
Name
Kane County Cougars
Ballpark
Fifth Third Bank Ballpark
Minor league titles
League titles	2001
Division titles	2001, 2004
Owner(s)/Operated by:
Manager: Brian Buchanan
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 Kansas City Royals, 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've 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, and with the Oakland Athletics from 2003 until 2010 before joining the Royals for the 2011 season. 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.

The stand-out contributor to the 2006 Cougars' offense was third baseman Jeff Baisley. The 6'3" Baisley was the league MVP in 2006, driving in 110 runs and hitting 22 homers. His most notable performance, however, was a game when he hit three home runs. His last was postponed during an umpire discussion on the eligibility of the home run that hit the scoreboard. He was allowed the homer.

Roster

Kane County Cougars roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 19 Jason Adam 15 Greg Billo 21 Chase Boruff 17 Chas Byrne 31 Allen Caldwell 33 Santiago Garrido 32 Keaton Hayenga 45 Mitch Hodge 28 Sugar Ray Marimon 22 Leondy Perez 32 Nick Rogers -- Sam Runion 16 Leonel Santiago 12 Yordano Ventura 18 Cole White		Catchers 28 Kevin David 34 Juan Graterol 23 Ryan Jenkins  1 Paul Krebs Infielders 11 Orlando Calixte  8 Cheslor Cuthbert  7 Yowill Espinal  2 Angel Franco 25 Jacob Kuebler Outfielders 14 Julio Aparicio 26 Geulin Beltre 24 Brett Eibner  4 Brian Fletcher 30 Alex Llanos  6 Jovan Pickett		Manager -- Brian Buchanan Coaches 38 Jim Brower (pitching) -- Julio Bruno (hitting) 7-day disabled list * On Kansas City Royals 40-man roster ∞ Reserve list § Suspended list ‡ Restricted list # Rehab assignment Roster updated January 9, 2012 Transactions → More rosters

References

• Dinda, J. (2003), "Geneva, Illinois, in the Midwest League," http://www.mwlguide.com/cities/geneva/index.html

External links

• Kane County Cougars web site
• The Baseball Cube - Kane County Cougars Historical Statistics