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<title>Predicting the Future</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/predicting-the-future/</link>
<comments>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/predicting-the-future/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2016 17:34:45 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[The Kane County Cougars have enjoyed successful teams and playoff runs in both of their last two seasons, and if all goes according to plan, 2016 should be no different. 2014 saw the Cougars win the Midwest League Championship in … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/predicting-the-future/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[The Kane County Cougars have enjoyed successful teams and playoff runs in both of their last two seasons, and if all goes according to plan, 2016 should be no different.
2014 saw the Cougars win the Midwest League Championship in a sweep as a Cubs affiliate; that team went 91-49 in the regular season, adding another seven wins in the playoffs (and, just for the record, zero losses). 2015 brought some inherent uncertainty with an affiliate change to the Diamondbacks, but any doubts were assuaged when the team set a record for wins in a half-season with 48 and easily made the postseason.
And now, it’s time to look ahead. And to do that, we look… west?
The Hillsboro Hops, located in Oregon, are the short-season affiliate of the Diamondbacks. The Hops, like the Cougars, have made the playoffs two years running. In fact, not only have the Hops won four straight half-season division titles, they also won the Northwest League Championship both years.
That’s great for the Hops. It’s also great for the Cougars. Thanks to the gradual progression of minor league players through a team’s farm system, the 2016 Cougs should be comprised largely of members of one or both of those championship-winning Hillsboro teams. While the roster won’t be set until early April, here are some of those players who could be gracing the field at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark this summer.
Alex Young. A 2015 draftee, Young didn’t spend a huge amount of time with the Hops, but the time he did was well-spent: the #5 Diamondbacks prospect registered a 1.50 ERA (earned run average) in the six games in which he pitched. While he was used out of the bullpen for the Hops, he’s expected to be tried out as a starter for his first full season in the pros.
Taylor Clarke. Taylor Clarke had a pretty good year in Oregon, if your definition of “pretty good” is “utterly dominant.” Clarke did not give up a single run, earned or unearned, in his debut season. He threw 21 innings for the Hops as part of that lights-out bullpen that helped them to the championship (for those of you having trouble working out the math, that’s an ERA of 0.00). While it’s prooobably unrealistic to expect a feat repeat in 2016 as Clarke also moves to the starting rotation, we can still expect good things from the young right-hander.
Cody Reed. Cody Reed is 19 years old, everyone. He is 19 years old and about to enter his third season in professional baseball. Reed is another pitcher – sensing a trend? – and he already is a full-time starter. Reed made his debut for the Hops with four no-hit innings, which is in character, as he threw five no-hitters as a senior in high school en route to becoming the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year. If the lefty ends up in Kane County in 2016, which would be no surprise, expect to see lots of strikes.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_971" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-971" data-attachment-id="971" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/predicting-the-future/hillsboro-hops-vs-spokane-indians/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cody-reed.jpg" data-orig-size="640,360" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Craig Mitchelldyer\/Hillsboro Hop","camera":"Canon EOS-1D Mark IV","caption":"HILLSBORO, OR - JULY 11: The Hillsboro Hops vs Spokane Indians at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro, OR. (Craig Mitchelldyer\/Hillsboro Hops)","created_timestamp":"1436634272","copyright":"www.craigmitchelldyer.com","focal_length":"300","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.0008","title":"Hillsboro Hops vs Spokane Indians","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Hillsboro Hops vs Spokane Indians" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="HILLSBORO, OR – JULY 11: The Hillsboro Hops vs Spokane Indians at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro, OR. (Craig Mitchelldyer/Hillsboro Hops)
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cody-reed.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cody-reed.jpg?w=640" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-971" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cody-reed.jpg?w=640&h=360" alt="Hillsboro Hops vs Spokane Indians" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cody-reed.jpg 640w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cody-reed.jpg?w=150&h=84 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cody-reed.jpg?w=300&h=169 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />HILLSBORO, OR – JULY 11: The Hillsboro Hops vs Spokane Indians at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro, OR. Cody Reed throws a pitch. (Craig Mitchelldyer/Hillsboro Hops)</div>
Brody Greer. Guess what position Brody Greer plays? If your guess was “pitcher,” congratulations, you have learned that it takes a lot of good pitching for a team to be successful. Greer supplied his own fair share of good pitching, ending up with a 0.83 ERA (that’s good) in 32.2 innings of work for the Hops. Greer, who only gave up one earned run in his last 10 appearances, proved that you don’t need to be drafted to produce; he signed with the Diamondbacks as an undrafted free agent.
Carlos Hernandez. Hernandez, a pitcher, was very impressive as a starter for the Hops. In fact, he was so impressive that not only was he named to the Northwest League All-Star Team, at the end of the season he was also crowned the Northwest League Pitcher of the Year. It’s hard to argue with the numbers. With a 2.32 ERA and 93 strikeouts in just 85.1 innings pitched, Hernandez proved pretty definitively that he belongs on the roster.
Zach Nehrir. Although Nehrir was sidelined for a portion of the 2015 season with a left hand injury, the Northwest League All-Star still managed to produce for the Hops. The center fielder – that’s right, the first non-pitcher on this list – hit .297 with an impressive .363 OBP (on-base percentage), in addition to blasting 15 doubles in just 40 games. Nehrir made a quick impression by opening the season with consecutive four-hit games. If he can keep up that production (ok, maybe not four hits every game), he should find no trouble in the Midwest League.
Trevor Mitsui. Mitsui, who split time between first base and the designated hitter, hit well enough to turn some heads in 2015. The 6’5”, 225-pound lefty set Hops franchise records for home runs in a season (10), runs batted in (42), and extra-base hits (24). Half of those home runs came in the span of just five games in August. If Mitsui does end up in Kane County in 2016, all those seated in the outfield decks better pay attention when he comes up to bat.
So, there you have it – seven members of a championship-winning team who could end up on the Cougars for the upcoming season. Only time will tell for sure, but things are looking good for another strong Kane County performance in 2016.
 
 
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<title>2015 Season Recap – Cougars Major League Alumni Report</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-major-league-alumni-report/</link>
<comments>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-major-league-alumni-report/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2015 15:46:20 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kccougars.wordpress.com/?p=957</guid>
<description><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the fifth of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball with news on former and current Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This fifth part provides updates on many of our alumni … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-major-league-alumni-report/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the fifth of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball with news on former and current Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This fifth part provides updates on many of our alumni who spent all or a portion of the 2015 season at the Major League level. 
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/2015-season-recap-kane-county-cougars/" target="_blank">Part One – Cougars 2015 Season Recap </a> 
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/" target="_blank">Part Two – 2015 Season Recap on Cubs Minor Leaguers who played at Kane County in 2013-14 
</a><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-kansas-city-royals-and-oakland-athletics/" target="_blank">Part Three – 2015 Season Recap on Athletics/Royals Minor Leaguers who played at Kane County 
</a><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-other-mlb-affiliates/" target="_blank">Part Four – 2015 Season Recap on Cougars Minor League Alumni (Other MLB Affiliates)</a>
With the Major League Baseball season officially over, Cougars alumni were once again highlighted throughout not only the regular season, but the postseason as well. For 25 years now, Cougars fans have been treated to the best in Major League affiliated Minor League Baseball in Geneva, and then seeing countless Cougars players move up the ladder and one day realize their big league dreams. Making the Major Leagues, whether it’s for 10 seasons, just one season – or even one at-bat or inning pitched – is an incredible accomplishment. Cougars fans should take a lot of pride in the distinguished list of alumni who have advanced to the Major Leagues. I know that we do as an organization.
Through the end of the 2015 season, the list of Cougars Major League alumni now stands at 137 players. That list got a nice bump in 2015 as a total of nine players made their big league debut this season. Not since the 1998 season, when 15 Cougars made their MLB debuts, had more Cougars gotten their first taste of Major League Baseball.
In total, 36 Cougars alumni appeared in at least one Major League game in 2015. Ironically enough, this figure was the same as the number of our 2014 alumni who appeared in the big leagues.
The Kansas City Royals, our Major League affiliate in 2011 and 2012, not only returned to the World Series this season, they brought home the world championship after coming up just short in 2014. It was the Royals’ first World Series championship since 1985 and several former Cougars were either part of the postseason roster or at least suited up for the Royals at one point or another this season.
Pitcher Yordano Ventura (’11) was a little up-and-down during the 2015 season. The flame-throwing right-hander came off an eye-opening 2014 season so the expectations were naturally, a little high going into 2015. Ventura went 13-8 with a 4.08 ERA in 28 starts and struggled in the postseason, taking the Game 3 loss against the New York Mets.
Ventura, however, is still very young. The 24-year old, after making his big league debut in late 2012, now has more than 60 career starts and has pitched in 10 postseason games, too. Ventura is a competitor and more than once has drawn the ire of opposing teams for his actions on the field. But his development since making his Cougars debut in May of 2011 has really been impressive. I still think back to his first start here, a May game with temperatures hovering in the 40’s. Ventura, a lanky 145-pound pitcher at the time, was huddled inside the clubhouse before the game, buried underneath a large coat. He’s really come a long way in four years’ time.
There were quite a few alumni who played with the Royals this season, but their on-field time was fairly limited. Infielder Cheslor Cuthbert (’11), one of our Cougars big league debuts this season, batted .217 in 19 games. Infielder Orlando Calixte (’11-’12), Dusty Coleman (’09) and pitcher Scott Alexander (’12) combined to appear in a total of 10 games this season while all making their big league debuts with Kansas City.
Some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball are familiar ones to Cougars fans. Excellent careers continue for quite a few players, starting with Seattle outfielder Nelson Cruz (’03). A huge off-season signing by Seattle, Cruz set a career high with 44 home runs, which trailed only Baltimore’s Chris Davis for the major league lead. His .302 batting average was his highest since 2010 and Cruz was named a Major League All-Star for the fourth time in his career.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_960" style="width: 346px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nelson_cruz.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-960" data-attachment-id="960" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-major-league-alumni-report/nelson_cruz/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nelson_cruz.jpg" data-orig-size="336,444" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D1H","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1050778214","copyright":"","focal_length":"300","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Nelson_Cruz" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’03 Cougar Nelson Cruz was one of Major League Baseball’s biggest hitters in 2015. Cruz was a mid-season All-Star for the fifth time in his career.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nelson_cruz.jpg?w=227" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nelson_cruz.jpg?w=336" class="size-full wp-image-960" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nelson_cruz.jpg?w=640" alt="'03 Cougar Nelson Cruz was one of Major League Baseball's biggest hitters in 2015. Cruz was a mid-season All-Star for the fifth time in his career." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nelson_cruz.jpg 336w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nelson_cruz.jpg?w=114&h=150 114w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nelson_cruz.jpg?w=227&h=300 227w" sizes="(max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px" /></a>’03 Cougar Nelson Cruz was one of Major League Baseball’s biggest hitters in 2015. Cruz was a mid-season All-Star for the fourth time in his career.</div>
Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera (’01) endured a lower body injury which resulted in the fewest games played (119) since his rookie season in 2003. Still, Cabrera batted .338 which was the best in the Major Leagues – and hit his 400th career home run in 2015 while being named a Major League All-Star for the 10th time in 12 years. He should reach 1,500 RBI in 2016 (only 52 players have ever reached that number) and should also advance into the top 100 in all-time big league hits. His prodigious offensive numbers just continue to grow.
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Adrian Gonzalez (’01), a teammate of Cabrera’s from the 2001 Cougars Midwest League championship team, continues to display his all-around skill that has made him one of the game’s biggest stars. Gonzelez earned his fifth career All-Star nod and his 28 home runs were the highest output since 2010 with San Diego. Gonzalez now has more than 1,000 RBI for his career and while most postseason awards have not been announced yet, keep in mind that Gonzalez is a four-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time Silver Slugger award winner. Without question, he’s one of the best players to have ever come through Kane County.
Several pitching alumni had solid seasons in 2015 as well. It always seems as if Huston Street (’04) never seems to get the most headlines year in and year out, but he deserves them. Street was 5th in the Major Leagues with 40 saves in 2015 for the Los Angles Angels. Street’s 315 career saves now put him 20th on the all-time list. A season similar to this past year’s could have Street knocking on the door of baseball’s top 10 saves list by the end of 2016. Street is just 32 years old too, and it will be interesting to see how long his career plays out as he carves his name alongside some of the best closers in baseball history.
San Francisco closer Santiago Casilla (’03-’04) saved a career-best 38 games for the Giants and with 3 World Series rings in his 12-year big league career, it’s been a good run so far for the right-hander in his big league tenure.
A.J. Burnett (’98) capped his 17-year big league career by going 9-7 with a 3.18 ERA in 26 starts. Burnett was a first-time Major League All-Star in 2015, putting the exclamation point on a wonderful career that included more than 2,500 strikeouts and 164 career wins. Burnett, now retired, was officially the final Cougars player from the 90’s decade to actively play in the big leagues.
Easily one of the biggest storylines not just here in Chicago but nationwide, was the emergence of Kyle Schwarber (’14). Schwarber made his much-anticipated big league debut in June as interleague play opened up. Schwarber was the first Cougar to debut within one year of playing at Kane County since the aforementioned Huston Street. From mid-July on, Schwarber was a mainstay in the Cubs’ lineup and batted .246 with 16 home runs. His postseason numbers as the Cubs advanced to the NLCS were phenomenal. Schwarber batted .333 with 5 home runs, including some round-trippers that will be talked about well into next year and beyond. His mammoth home run in the NLDS against St. Louis landed on a right-field sign above the video board and was encased soon after.
Schwarber will enter 2016 as one of the most talked-about Cubs as the team advanced to the NLCS this past fall for the first time since 2003. A young team with much promise, Schwarber will likely be counted on in the outfield while also catching. His bat speaks for itself and despite only playing at Kane County for 23 games in 2014, fans can claim him as one of Kane County’s own who shot through the Cubs’ minor league system like a comet to reach the big leagues.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_959" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-959" data-attachment-id="959" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-major-league-alumni-report/kyle_schwarber-1/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,1800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1403202467","copyright":"","focal_length":"400","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.000625","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Kyle_Schwarber 1" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber was one of the most talked-about Cougars alumni during the 2015 season, particularly during the Cubs’ playoff run to the NLCS.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg?w=200" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-959" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg?w=640&h=960" alt="'14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber was one of the most talked-about Cougars alumni during the 2015 season, particularly during the Cubs' playoff run to the NLCS." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg?w=100 100w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg?w=200 200w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg?w=683 683w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>’14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber was one of the most talked-about Cougars alumni during the 2015 season, particularly during the Cubs’ playoff run to the NLCS.</div>
Schwarber wasn’t the only ’14 Cougar to make an impressive MLB debut in 2015. Pitcher Zack Godley went 5-1 with a 3.19 ERA for the D-backs in 2015. He was the first pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) to throw at least six scoreless innings with seven or more strikeouts and no walks in his first career game.
Other solid ’15 storylines involving Cougars alumni include the following:
Pitcher Trevor Cahill (’07) made 11 appearances with the Cubs late in the regular season, posting a 2.12 ERA. Cahill had had a rocky 2014 and early 2015 season before a change of scenery to the Cubs seemingly did the trick. The right-hander, working exclusively out of the bullpen, had success in a new role after spending much of his career as a starting pitcher.
Joe Blanton (’03), similar to Cahill, endured a career crossroads as Blanton was on the verge of retirement after a 2-14 season in 2013, and never pitched in a big league game in 2014. Blanton was part of the Royals’ spring training squad in March 2015 and after beginning the season at Triple-A Omaha, returned to the majors by May and never looked back. The righty was a spot starter but worked more out of relief for the Royals and then Pittsburgh following a mid-season trade to the Pirates. With Pittsburgh, Blanton went 5-0 with a 1.57 ERA in 21 bullpen appearances.
Blanton, an ’08 World Series champion with the Phillies, is still one of our more recognized MLB alumni, having enjoyed an 11-year big league career.
Pitcher Bo Schultz (’10) continues to be such an easy guy to root for. The right-hander, who pitched collegiately at Northwestern made his big league debut in 2014 with Arizona and between 2010 and 2013, bounced around several organizations including independent league baseball.
In 2015, Schultz made 31 relief appearances for the Blue Jays, which advanced to the ALCS for the first time since 1993.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_961" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-961" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="961" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-major-league-alumni-report/schultz3-3/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg" data-orig-size="5184,3456" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1271121380","copyright":"","focal_length":"300","iso":"250","shutter_speed":"0.00025","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Schultz3" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’10 Cougar Bo Schultz was part of a playoff team in Toronto.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-961" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=640&h=427" alt="'10 Cougar Bo Schultz was part of a playoff team in Toronto. " srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=1320 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=150 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=300 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>’10 Cougar Bo Schultz was part of a playoff team in Toronto.</div>
Other Cougars to record Major League time in 2015 include:
Michael Choice (’10), TEX. The ’10 Cougar appeared in one game with the Rangers.
Andre Ethier (’03), LAD. Ethier, the longest-tenured Cougar to remain with the same team, batted .294 with 14 home runs and 53 RBI for the Dodgers. Ethier has been in the Dodgers white and blue since his big league debut in 2006.
Tyler Ladendorf (’09), OAK. Ladendorf batted .235 in nine games with the A’s.
Cliff Pennington (’05), TOR and AZ. Pennington split his 2015 season between the D-backs and Blue Jays. Pennington even pitched in a postseason game for the Blue Jays, becoming the first full-time position player to ever pitch in a postseason game.
Gregorio Petit (’05), NYY. Batted .167 in 20 games.
Anthony Recker (’06), NYM. Batted .125 in 32 games.
Max Stassi (’10), HOU. Batted .400 in 11 games.
Jemile Weeks (’08), BOS. Batted .333 in 3 games.
Josh Wilson (’01), DET. Batted .316 in 21 games.
Andrew Bailey (’07), NYY. The former American League Rookie of the Year made 10 relief appearances for the Yankees after returning to big league action for the first time since 2013 due to injuries.
Ronald Belisario (’02), TB. Made 6 relief appearances.
Aaron Brooks (’12), KC and OAK. Made 13 appearances.
Sean Doolittle (’07), OAK. Made 12 relief appearances after missing most of the season because of injury.
Ian Krol (’10), DET. Made 33 relief appearances for the Tigers.
Sugar Ray Marimon (’11), ATL. Made 16 relief appearances for the Braves.
Vin Mazzaro (’06), MIA. Made 10 relief appearances for the Marlins.
Andrew McKirahan (’13), ATL. Made 27 relief appearances for the Braves in his rookie season.
Tyson Ross (’08), SD. Ross was a 10-game winner for the second straight season with the Padres, making 33 starts.
Dan Straily (’10), HOU. Appeared in four games for the Astros.
Ryan Webb (’05), CLE. Made 40 relief appearances for the Indians, his sixth straight season of 40+ appearances.
As always, thanks for reading and for your support of Cougars baseball!
-Shawn Touney
]]></content:encoded>
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<media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/57a4a447a0f59b65b40125b3f0bdadf4f9a39fed31ee6ab0622dbe2aaba59c6f?s=96&d=identicon&r=G" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">kccougars</media:title>
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<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nelson_cruz.jpg" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'03 Cougar Nelson Cruz was one of Major League Baseball's biggest hitters in 2015. Cruz was a mid-season All-Star for the fifth time in his career.</media:title>
</media:content>
<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/kyle_schwarber-1.jpg?w=660" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber was one of the most talked-about Cougars alumni during the 2015 season, particularly during the Cubs' playoff run to the NLCS.</media:title>
</media:content>
<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/schultz3.jpg?w=660" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'10 Cougar Bo Schultz was part of a playoff team in Toronto. </media:title>
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</item>
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<title>2015 Season Recap – Cougars Minor League Alumni (Other MLB affiliates)</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-other-mlb-affiliates/</link>
<comments>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-other-mlb-affiliates/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2015 18:11:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kccougars.wordpress.com/?p=946</guid>
<description><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the fourth of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball with news on former and current Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This fourth part provides updates on many of our alumni who … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-other-mlb-affiliates/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the fourth of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball with news on former and current Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This fourth part provides updates on many of our alumni who aren’t currently with a Major League farm system that was previously affiliated with the Cougars. 
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/2015-season-recap-kane-county-cougars/" target="_blank">Part One – Cougars 2015 Season Recap </a> 
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/" target="_blank">Part Two – 2015 Season Recap on Cubs Minor Leaguers who played at Kane County in 2013-14 
</a><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-kansas-city-royals-and-oakland-athletics/" target="_blank">Part Three – 2015 Season Recap on Athletics/Royals Minor Leaguers who played at Kane County</a>
So far, we’ve covered this year’s Cougars team, which was our first season as a Major League affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Subsequent blog posts have highlighted former Cougars who are currently in the minor leagues, but are associated with our previous big league affiliations – Cubs (2013-14), Kansas City Royals (2011-12) and Oakland Athletics (2003-2010).
Players bounce around the big leagues and it’s no exception in the minor leagues as former Cougars have latched on with other Major League teams’ farm systems. We’ll take a look at some of these players who are still active.
One of the most fascinating stories continues to be former Cougar Jeremy Barfield (’09), who was an All-Star outfielder with us. Barfield advanced as high as Triple-A Sacramento in 2013, but his offensive numbers began to wane a bit. He made the decision to transition from outfield to pitcher entering the 2014 season and had modest success at Class-A Advanced Stockton in 2014.
A free agent following last season, Barfield’s journey continued – and only got stranger. His 2015 campaign, with a return back to the outfield from pitcher’s mound, included stops in the Mexican League, multiple independent league teams and eventually, a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies. He eventually returned to the Triple-A level this summer, batting .267 in 42 games at Albuquerque.
Barfield is an easy guy to pull for. In addition to his determination in attempting to reach the major leagues, he’s a great follow on Twitter – @barfonthefield. Yes, that is the actual twitter handle. We really enjoyed having him here in 2009.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_953" style="width: 346px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/barfield.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-953" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="953" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-other-mlb-affiliates/barfield-2/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/barfield.jpg" data-orig-size="336,422" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark II","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1240986399","copyright":"","focal_length":"420","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.0008","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Barfield" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’09 Cougar Jeremy Barfield had a 2015 season he won’t forget, advancing as high as Triple-A.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/barfield.jpg?w=239" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/barfield.jpg?w=336" class="size-full wp-image-953" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/barfield.jpg?w=640" alt="'09 Cougar Jeremy Barfield had a 2015 season he won't forget, advancing as high as Triple-A. " srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/barfield.jpg 336w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/barfield.jpg?w=119&h=150 119w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/barfield.jpg?w=239&h=300 239w" sizes="(max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px" /></a>’09 Cougar Jeremy Barfield had a 2015 season he won’t forget, advancing as high as Triple-A.</div>
A teammate of Barfield’s in 2009, pitcher Shawn Haviland spent the ’15 season between the White Sox and Red Sox Triple-A affiliates and appeared in 25 games.
Andrew Triggs (’12) was lights-out in the bullpen at Double-A Bowie, a Baltimore Orioles affiliate. Triggs posted a sparkling 1.03 ERA in 43 appearances out of the bullpen.
Outfielder Corey Brown (’08) is four years removed from making his big league debut in 2011 with Washington and Brown is still at it, mainly from the Triple-A level. He’s appeared in a total of 39 games over parts of four seasons in the bigs. This past season, Brown was stationed at Triple-A Durham (Tampa Bay Rays) where he batted .243 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI. Brown has more than 150 home runs in his minor league career.
Outfielder Michael Choice (’10), who briefly appeared with us in the 2010 postseason, played in just one big league game this past season with Texas. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, splitting time between Round Rock and then the Columbus Clippers, the Cleveland Indians’ Triple-A affiliate. With the Clippers, Choice batted just .204 in 14 games.
One player to keep tabs on is infielder Marco Hernandez (’13), who batted .271 in 46 games at Triple-A Pawtucket (Boston Red Sox) after being promoted from Double-A earlier in the season.
Infielder Dean Espy (’12) batted .206 in 79 games at Double-A New Britain (Colorado Rockies). Outfielder Brian Fletcher (’11) batted .234 in 75 games at Double-A Birmingham (Chicago White Sox). Catcher Juan Graterol (’12) advanced as high as Triple-A with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (New York Yankees), appearing in 20 games. Graterol was teammates with infielder Gregorio Petit (’05), who also appeared in 20 games with the Yankees at the big league level.
Outfielder Trevor Gretzky (’13) played in 78 games with Class-A Burlington (Los Angeles Angels) in the Midwest League.
Outfielder Javier Herrera (’05) played in 34 games at Double-A Richmond (San Francisco). Catcher Chadd Krist (’13) advanced as high as Double-A Jacksonville in the Miami Marlins farm system.
Remember Justin Sellers? The ’06 Cougar made his big league debut in 2011 and split his season between Triple-A teams Charlotte (Chicago White Sox) and Indianapolis (Pittsburgh).
Jemile Weeks (’08), another former Cougar who first reached the big leagues in 2011, did appear in 3 games with Boston but spent much of the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, batting .204 in 70 games. A teammate of Weeks’ in 2008, pitcher Carlos Hernandez alternated between Double-A New Britain and Triple-A Albuquerque.
A fan favorite from 2013, Rock Shoulders spent most of his ’15 season at Class-A Hickory (Texas Rangers), where he batted .169 in 46 games.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_954" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-954" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="954" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-other-mlb-affiliates/kccbarkinpark_/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg" data-orig-size="4288,2848" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Kane County Cougars photo","camera":"NIKON D300S","caption":"Wednesday at Fifth Third Ballpark in Geneva.","created_timestamp":"1374111372","copyright":"","focal_length":"200","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"kccbarkinpark_","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="kccbarkinpark_" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’13 Cougar Rock Shoulders is part of the Texas Rangers organization.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-954" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=640&h=425" alt="'13 Cougar Rock Shoulders is part of the Texas Rangers organization." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=1320 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=150 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=300 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>’13 Cougar Rock Shoulders is part of the Texas Rangers organization.</div>
There are several pitchers from our two-year run as a Cubs affiliate who are now with different teams. Justin Amlung (’13-’14) advanced as high as Class-A Advanced Potomac (Washington), Jose Arias (’13-’14) pitched in 7 games at Class-A Greensboro (Miami) while Tyler Bremer (’14) made stops at Triple-A New Orleans, Double-A Jacksonville and Class-A Advanced Jupiter in the Marlins farm system. Most of Bremer’s 2015 season was at Jupiter, where he posted a 1.84 ERA in 32 appearances. Lendy Castillo (’13) spent a majority of his ’15 season at Double-A Frisco (Texas), going 2-2 in 19 relief appearances. Castillo, if you remember, was part of the ’13 Cougars and actually reached the major leagues in 2012 with the Cubs. Ian Dickson (’13) went 3-3 with a 3.60 ERA at A-Advanced Potomac (Washington).
Pitcher Denny Bautista (’01) is still plugging away. After making his big league debut in 2004 with Baltimore, Bautista only pitched in a handful of games between A-Advanced Salem and Class-A Greenville in the Red Sox farm system.
Pitcher Jared Burton (’03) split his season between Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Round Rock.
Going south of the border, pitcher Anthony Capra (’09) made 9 starts at Acereros del Norte in the Mexican League. Also in the Mexican League, pitcher Jose Pina (’10) made 43 appearances wtih Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz and infielder Alex Valdez (’07) batted .256 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI at Delfines de Ciudad del Carmen.
Jake Kuebler (’11) advanced as high as Class-A Advanced St. Lucie (New York Mets), going 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA. You might remember Kuebler as a position player in his Cougars days.
Workhorse Tim Melville (’12) made 27 starts at Triple-A Toledo (Detroit), going 7-10 with a 4.63 ERA.
With the baseball season officially over, our next blog post will recap how our Major League Cougars alumni did in 2015. As is the case every year, the success many of our alumni have at the big league level is really impressive, and 2015 was no exception. Thanks for reading!
-Shawn Touney
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
<media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/57a4a447a0f59b65b40125b3f0bdadf4f9a39fed31ee6ab0622dbe2aaba59c6f?s=96&d=identicon&r=G" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">kccougars</media:title>
</media:content>
<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/barfield.jpg" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'09 Cougar Jeremy Barfield had a 2015 season he won't forget, advancing as high as Triple-A. </media:title>
</media:content>
<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/kccbarkinpark_433357.jpg?w=660" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'13 Cougar Rock Shoulders is part of the Texas Rangers organization.</media:title>
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<title>2015 Season Recap – Cougars Minor League Alumni (Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics)</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-kansas-city-royals-and-oakland-athletics/</link>
<comments>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-kansas-city-royals-and-oakland-athletics/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2015 20:29:13 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kccougars.wordpress.com/?p=938</guid>
<description><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the third of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball while also providing updates on former and current Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This third part provides updates on many of … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-kansas-city-royals-and-oakland-athletics/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the third of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball while also providing updates on former and current Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This third part provides updates on many of our alumni who are playing in the Kansas City Royals farm system. The Royals were our Major League affiliate in 2011 and 2012. We’ll also briefly cover some of the players who are still in the Oakland Athletics farm system. The A’s were our big league affiliate from 2003-2010.
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/2015-season-recap-kane-county-cougars/" target="_blank">Part One – Cougars 2015 Season Recap </a> 
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/" target="_blank">Part Two – 2015 Season Recap on Cubs Minor Leaguers who played at Kane County in 2013-14</a>
Our two-year run with the Kansas City Royals in 2011 and 2012 was a good one. The Cougars made the postseason in 2011 under manager Vance Wilson (now manager at Double-A Northwest Arkansas) and between 2013 and 2015, a half-dozen home-grown Cougars during our Royals tenure have gone on to reach the big league level with the Royals. The Royals have turned the ship around and are now one of the top teams in Major League Baseball, currently playing in the American League Championship Series.
There are still some players in the Kansas City farm system who will be familiar to Cougars fans. We’ll start with Kyle Zimmer (’12), who simply hasn’t received any favors in terms of avoiding injuries and setbacks since playing at Kane County. In 2014, he missed time with several injuries that postponed his season debut until August 17.
Then, this past season, Zimmer experienced shoulder discomfort that went back to the previous fall. Zimmer continued to feel soreness in his shoulder in early May, suspending his season until late May when he opened the year at Class-A Lexington. Zimmer eventually moved up to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he went 2-5 with a 2.81 ERA in 15 appearances (7 of which were starts).
If he can stay healthy, Zimmer (drafted 5th overall in 2012) is the Royals’ most talented pitching prospect. And as well as the Royals have been over the last couple of seasons, Zimmer must be clamoring to get back on track and have uninterrupted progress as he moves up the chain.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_941" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-941" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="941" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-kansas-city-royals-and-oakland-athletics/zimmer2-3/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg" data-orig-size="2400,1577" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Sun-Times Media","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"Kane County's Kyle Zimmer got his first start against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in Geneva on Thursday, July 26, 2012. | Donnell Collins~For Sun-Times Media","created_timestamp":"1343280899","copyright":"","focal_length":"300","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.0002","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Zimmer2" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’12 Cougar and former 1st round pick Kyle Zimmer is due for an injury-free year in 2016. He remains one of the Royals’ top pitching prospects.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-941" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=640&h=421" alt="'12 Cougar and former 1st round pick Kyle Zimmer is due for an injury-free year in 2016. He remains one of the Royals' top pitching prospects." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=1320 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=150 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=300 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>’12 Cougar and former 1st round pick Kyle Zimmer is due for an injury-free year in 2016. He remains one of the Royals’ top pitching prospects.</div>
At Triple-A Omaha, players such as Cheslor Cuthbert (’11) and Orlando Calixte (’11-’12) were lineup regulars. Both made their MLB debuts this season with the Royals.
Teammate Dusty Coleman (’09), who was a Cougar during our A’s affiliation, was signed by the Royals and made the most of his opportunity in 2015, batting .275 in 73 games with Omaha while making his big league debut on July 3 with Kansas City.
But perhaps the biggest breakout among our alumni at Triple-A Omaha was Brett Eibner (’11), who batted .303 with 19 home runs and 81 RBI. Eibner cut down on his strikeouts and posted his best batting average as a professional. Eibner, similar to Zimmer, is a high-round pick that the Royals don’t want to give up on yet, by any means.
Omaha pitchers included Andy Ferguson (’12), who went 7-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 14 starts.
At Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Lane Adams (’11-’12) batted .298 in 97 games. Adams made his Major League debut with the Royals in September 2014. Jorge Bonifacio (’12) batted .240 with 17 home runs and 64 RBI. On the pitching side, Malcom Culver (’12) made 43 relief appearances and Brooks Pounders (’12) made 8 starts and posted a 2.19 ERA.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_943" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-943" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="943" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-kansas-city-royals-and-oakland-athletics/bonifacio-3/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg" data-orig-size="3456,5184" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1338616180","copyright":"","focal_length":"300","iso":"250","shutter_speed":"0.0002","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Bonifacio" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’12 Cougar Jorge Bonifacio flashed the most power in his six-year pro career in 2015.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=200" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-943" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=640&h=960" alt="'12 Cougar Jorge Bonifacio flashed the most power in his six-year pro career in 2015." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=1320 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=100 100w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=200 200w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=683 683w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>’12 Cougar Jorge Bonifacio flashed the most power in his six-year pro career in 2015.</div>
At Class-A Advanced Wilmington, Jack Lopez (’12) batted .238 in 116 games while Robinson Yambati (’12) made 31 relief appearances. Wilmington was managed by Buck Buchanan (’12 Cougars manager).
Despite being five years removed from our affiliation with the Oakland Athletics, there are some remnants of alumni who are still in the A’s system. Pitcher Ryan Doolittle (’10), younger brother of former Cougar and current A’s pitcher Sean Doolittle (’07), made 40 appearances in relief at Double-A Midland. while Jonathan Joseph (’10) went 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 32 games. Anthony Aliotti (’10) opened the season at Triple-A Nashville, batting .258 in 88 games before being sent down to Midland for the final part of the season. And Tyler Ladendorf (’09) spent part of the season at Nashville after making his big league debut with the A’s in April.
At Short-A Vermont, the team was managed by Aaron Nieckula, who was Cougars skipper in 2006-2008 before returning in 2010. Nuke’s hitting coach was former Cougar Tommy Everidge (’05). And at Triple-A Nashville, Steve Scarsone (’09 Cougars manager) led the Sounds in Nashville’s first season as an A’s affiliate. Nashville’s field staff included former pitching coach Don Schulze (’07-’08) and former Cougars manager Webster Garrison (’03) as hitting coach.
-Shawn Touney
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<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
<media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/57a4a447a0f59b65b40125b3f0bdadf4f9a39fed31ee6ab0622dbe2aaba59c6f?s=96&d=identicon&r=G" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">kccougars</media:title>
</media:content>
<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/zimmer2.jpg?w=660" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'12 Cougar and former 1st round pick Kyle Zimmer is due for an injury-free year in 2016. He remains one of the Royals' top pitching prospects.</media:title>
</media:content>
<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bonifacio.jpg?w=660" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'12 Cougar Jorge Bonifacio flashed the most power in his six-year pro career in 2015.</media:title>
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<title>2015 Season Recap – Cougars Minor League Alumni (Chicago Cubs)</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/</link>
<comments>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2015 14:31:49 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kccougars.wordpress.com/?p=929</guid>
<description><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the second of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball with news on former and current Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This second part provides updates on many of our alumni who … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the second of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball with news on former and current Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This second part provides updates on many of our alumni who are playing in the Chicago Cubs farm system. The Cubs were our Major League affiliate in 2013 and 2014. 
Cougars fans,
If you’ve been to Fifth Third Bank Ballpark over the last few years, chances are that you’ve noticed a large wall on the concourse directly behind the press box. On that wall is a sign displaying the names of what is now 137 players who played at Kane County and reached the Major Leagues. To be on the board, all you need is one appearance at the big league level – and you’re officially ‘in’. It’s a great list that continues to grow each year. And in 2015, while 9 new players made the board, there are many more players who are advancing their way up the ladder in the minor leagues, hoping to reach baseball’s biggest stage. This blog post will give you an update on how many of our Cougars alumni did in 2015 across the Minor League Baseball landscape.
To make things a little easier, I’ll begin with our two-year run with the Cubs in 2013-14 for this blog post. There are still many alums from our time with the Kansas City Royals (2011-2012). And believe it or not, there are still a couple of ex-Cougars still working their way through the Oakland Athletics system – our big league affiliate from 2003-2010. And of course, minor leaguers come and go – and some of them latch on with a team that is affiliated with a big league club that never held direct ties with Kane County. I’ll get to those in subsequent blog posts as part of this series.
Since it’s the most recent former affiliation, we’ll start with the Cubs. Our two-year run with the Cubs resulted in many present-day alumni who are in the Cubs’ farm system.
With the incredible success the Cubs have enjoyed this year, there’s only been one Cougars alum who has made his big league debut on the north side this year – that would be Kyle Schwarber (’14 Cougar). And what a debut it’s been. In 69 regular season games, Schwarber clubbed 16 home runs while driving in 43 runs. As I write this, the Cubs are gearing up for Game 1 of the NLDS against St. Louis and the Cubs (including Schwarber) are the talk of the town. Schwarber’s mammoth home run against Pittsburgh in this week’s Wild Card game was one of the most talked-about moments of the Cubs season to this point.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_933" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-933" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="933" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/schwarber-2/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg" data-orig-size="3456,5184" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1403203586","copyright":"","focal_length":"400","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.0008","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Schwarber" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber has been one of the most popular Cougars to make his big league debut in recent memory. Schwarber began the season at Double-A before joining the Cubs in June.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=200" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-933" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=640&h=960" alt="'14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber has been one of the most popular Cougars to make his big league debut in recent memory. Schwarber began the season at Double-A before joining the Cubs in June." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=1320 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=100 100w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=200 200w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=683 683w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>’14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber has been one of the most popular Cougars to make his big league debut in recent memory. Schwarber began the season at Double-A before joining the Cubs in June.</div>
There was a handful of alums who at least got a brief taste of Triple-A Iowa this season, although their time there was more of a limited-time ‘fill-in’ role with an overwhelming majority of their ’15 season being spent at lower levels in the Cubs’ system. Those include Cael Brockmeyer (’14), Kevin Brown (’14), Tyler Ihrig (’14) and Michael Wagner (’14).
The one mainstay for the I-Cubs this season was reliever Armando Rivero (’13). A right-handed pitcher from Cuba, Rivero was a big international signing by the Cubs and spent a small part of the ’13 campaign at Kane County. This season, Rivero made 48 appearances out of the bullpen, going 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 57 innings of work.
Rivero also pitched in 23 games with the I-Cubs in 2013, going 3-0 with a 2.97 ERA.
I was hoping that at some point this season, Rivero would get the call to join the Cubs’ bullpen, particularly towards the end of the regular season. Rivero, at 27 years old, has the maturity and numbers at Triple-A to warrant a call-up and could be in the mix at the big league level in 2016.
Also at Iowa, Jeffrey Antigua (’13) went 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 appearances (6 starts) although he spent more of the season at Double-A Tennessee than in Des Moines.
In 2015, Cougars fans easily saw a majority of the ’13 and ’14 players either at Double-A Tennessee or Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach.
Any update on our alumni at Tennessee has to start with Willson Contreras (’13). My guess is that when our 2013 Opening Day roster was announced, the ‘experts’ could have rattled off 4, 5 or even 6 players who were considered bigger prospects than Contreras was at the time. His ’13 season with the Cougars was a pretty good one – Contreras played in 86 games (mainly at catcher) and batted .248 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI. His 2014 season at Class-A Advanced Daytona was very similar, numbers-wise.
And then 2015 happened.
As a member of the Smokies, Contreras broke out and never looked back. He batted .333 with 8 home runs and 75 RBI in 126 games. Contreras was Tennessee’s #1 catcher while also DH’ing from time to time. He was named Cubs’ Minor League Player of the Year just recently and was the Southern League batting champion.
By all accounts, Contreras had the best breakout season among ANY of our alumni in Minor League Baseball. His name is now on the radar as a Cubs prospect and with his success at Double-A, it’s even more impressive as the transition from Class-A to Double-A is often the one met with the most challenges in terms of player advancement and successfully making adjustments.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_934" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-934" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="934" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/picture-411/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg" data-orig-size="1600,1200" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"","camera":"Canon PowerShot A720 IS","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1375378787","copyright":"","focal_length":"5.8","iso":"80","shutter_speed":"0.00625","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Picture 411" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’13 Cougar Willson Contreras was named Cubs Minor League Player of the Year after a breakout season at Double-A Tennessee.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-934" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=640&h=480" alt="'13 Cougar Willson Contreras was named Cubs Minor League Player of the Year after a breakout season at Double-A Tennessee." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=1320 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=150 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=300 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>’13 Cougar Willson Contreras (pictured with a young fan) was named Cubs Minor League Player of the Year after a breakout season at Double-A Tennessee.</div>
Contreras was one of many members of the ’13 Cougars to be stationed in east Tennessee for the 2015 season. Cubs 2012 1st round draft pick Albert Almora (’13) batted .272 with 6 home runs and 46 RBI in 106 games. Almora, one of the most-liked Cougars in franchise history and a fan favorite, played in 106 games in his first full season at Double-A. Remember that Almora is still only 21 years old.
Jeimer Candelario (’13-’14) was promoted from Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach to Tennessee in late July and in a healthy sample size of 46 games at Double-A, Candelario batted .291 with 5 home runs and 25 RBI. Candelario is a young guy, too. He’ll only be 22 years old on Opening Day next season.
Outfielder Jake Hannemann (’14), similar to Candelario, began the season at Myrtle Beach but received a promotion to Tennessee. Hannemann, in fact, spent a majority of the season with the Smokies and in 112 games, batted .233 with 6 home runs, 41 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Hannemann, between balancing football and a Mormon mission, essentially abandoned baseball for nearly 2 years before going full-time as a pro upon being signed by the Cubs. There’s still plenty of time for the athletic outfielder to develop and move upwards in the Cubs system.
Another everyday outfielder for the Smokies was Bijan Rademacher (’13), a former Midwest League All-Star who batted .261 with 4 home runs and 47 RBI in 113 games.
Dan Vogelbach (’13) was able to avoid any sort of major injury for the first four seasons of his career, but 2015 was a tough one. Vogelbach battled a strained oblique that sidelined him for a significant part of the summer. In 76 games, Vogelbach batted .272 with 7 home runs and 39 RBI with an OBP of .403.
On the mound at Double-A Tennessee, Pierce Johnson (’13-’14) put together an excellent season, going 6-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 16 starts. Johnson, similar to Vogelbach, battled the injury bug after suffering a strained lat muscle in spring training. His first start of the season did not come until June 11.
Combine Johnson’s numbers at Tennessee this year with his 2014 stats there (2.55 ERA in 17 starts), and he’s a worthy candidate to open the 2016 season at Triple-A Iowa.
Felix Pena (’13) was another key cog in Tennessee’s rotation. In 23 starts, the right-hander was a workhorse, posting a 3.75 ERA in 129.2 innings of work.
Starling Peralta (’13) had his best professional season in 2015, making 39 appearances out of the Smokies ‘pen with a 1.99 ERA.
Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach won the Carolina League championship, the second championship in a row for many of the players who were with us in 2014 during our Midwest League championship season.
Much of the attention towards our alumni at Myrtle Beach starts with the Pelicans pitching. If you remember from 2014, the Cougars broke a franchise record for team ERA with 5 or even 6 starting pitchers at one time, being nearly unhittable throughout that historic season.
Generally speaking, those pitchers all had solid seasons in their first year at the Class-A Advanced level are making nice strides in their development.
Paul Blackburn (’14), our Opening Night starter in 2014, went 7-5 with a 3.11 ERA in 18 starts. Jonathan Martinez (’14), who was picked up during last season by the Cubs in a mid-season trade, was 9-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 21 starts. Tyler Skulina (’13-’14) posted a 3.11 ERA in 15 starts. Daury Torrez (’13-’14) won 10 or more games for the second straight season, going 10-6 with a 3.75 ERA. Jen-Ho Tseng (’14) made 22 starts and posted a 3.55 ERA. Finally, Duane Underwood made 14 starts with a 2.58 ERA. Underwood missed all of July and most of August with elbow trouble. The only starter of note from the ’14 Cougars who isn’t listed is Juan Paniagua (’13-’14), who was phased to the bullpen and appeared in 20 games with the Pelicans in a relief role.
Myrtle Beach’s bullpen was steady as well, reminding Cougars fans even more of the dominant ’14 championship squad. David Garner (2.37 ERA in 16 appearances), Chicagoland native Michael Heesch (2.24 ERA in 33 appearances), Tyler Ihrig (2.86 ERA in 14 appearances), James Pugliese (2.62 ERA in 30 appearances) and Jasvir Rakkar (2.96 ERA in 38 appearances) were all reliable options for manager Mark Johnson (’13-’14 Cougars manager).
It’s also interesting to note that ex-Cougar Fernando Cruz (’11), a former Royals farmhand, has transitioned from a catcher/infielder to pitching and was signed by the Cubs nearly a year ago. Cruz split the ’15 season among three levels: Triple-A Iowa, Double-A Tennessee and A-Advanced Myrtle Beach. His best numbers were with the Pelicans.
Offensively, ’14 Cougars such as Victor Caratini (.257, 4 HR, 53 RBI), Ben Carhart (.255, 7 HR, 25 RBI), Daniel Lockhart (.223, 2 HR , 34 RBI), Trey Martin (.239, 2 HR, 31 RBI), Carlos Penalver (.197, 2 HR, 42 RBI) and Jacob Rogers (.249, 12 HR, 69 RBI) were regulars in the Pelicans lineup this season. Rogers was a late-season call-up to Tennessee, where he batted .247 in 23 games. He’s a sentimental pick and easy guy to root for as Rogers was drafted in the 40th round by the Cubs in 2012. He was one of the undisputed leaders from last season’s championship Cougars squad.
And if I’m thinking this through straight, Ben Carhart now owns 3 championship rings – ’13 with Daytona, ’14 with Kane County and now ’15 with Myrtle Beach. Look out, Phil Jackson.
Outfielder Mark Zagunis (’14) made the transition to outfield from catcher and had a very solid season, batting .271 with 8 home runs and 54 RBI.
But who was the most impressive hitter this season for Myrtle Beach? I’m going with Chesny Young (’14) who similar to Willson Contreras, is an under-the-radar prospect who did nothing but help improve his stock going into 2016. Young actually began the season at Class-A South Bend and batted .315 in 28 games. Following a promotion in May to Myrtle Beach, Young batted .321 in 102 games to win the Carolina League batting title.
A 14th round pick by the Cubs last summer, Young batted .324 in 27 games with the Cougars and as a two-year professional, has a career mark of .321 in 174 games. Young can flat-out hit. We saw it briefly last year and he displayed it over the course of 130 games this season.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_935" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-935" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="935" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/16c/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg" data-orig-size="5240,2401" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1410597955","copyright":"","focal_length":"93","iso":"3200","shutter_speed":"0.0015625","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="16c" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="A majority of the players from last season’s Cougars championship squad spent the 2015 season at Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach, winning the Carolina League title.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-935" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=640&h=293" alt="A majority of the players from last season's Cougars championship squad spent the 2015 season at Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach, winning the Carolina League title." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=1318 1318w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=150 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=300 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>A majority of the players from last season’s Cougars championship squad spent the 2015 season at Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach, winning the Carolina League title.</div>
Finally, Class-A South Bend had several former Cougars repeat the Class-A level for at least part of the season, if not the entire ’15 campaign. Cael Brockmeyer (’14) was named a Midwest League mid-season All-Star before being promoted. Gioskar Amaya (’13) batted .260 with 4 home runs and 43 RBI while making the transition to catcher from infielder. Jeffrey Baez (’14) batted .284 with 9 home runs and 34 RBI. Yasiel Balaguert (’14) batted .271 with 7 home runs and 40 RBI and David Bote (’13-’14) batted .251 with 6 home runs and 41 RBI.
South Bend pitchers included Dillon Maples (’13), Michael Wagner (’14) and Corbin Hoffner (’14) out of the bullpen.
As always, thanks for reading and whatever your baseball loyalty might be, continue enjoying the MLB postseason! It’s a great time of the year for baseball.
-Shawn Touney
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
<media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/57a4a447a0f59b65b40125b3f0bdadf4f9a39fed31ee6ab0622dbe2aaba59c6f?s=96&d=identicon&r=G" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">kccougars</media:title>
</media:content>
<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/schwarber.jpg?w=660" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber has been one of the most popular Cougars to make his big league debut in recent memory. Schwarber began the season at Double-A before joining the Cubs in June.</media:title>
</media:content>
<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/picture-411.jpg?w=660" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'13 Cougar Willson Contreras was named Cubs Minor League Player of the Year after a breakout season at Double-A Tennessee.</media:title>
</media:content>
<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16c.jpg?w=660" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">A majority of the players from last season's Cougars championship squad spent the 2015 season at Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach, winning the Carolina League title.</media:title>
</media:content>
</item>
<item>
<title>2015 Season Recap – Kane County Cougars</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/2015-season-recap-kane-county-cougars/</link>
<comments>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/2015-season-recap-kane-county-cougars/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2015 16:14:05 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the first of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball while also providing updates on former and current Kane County Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This first part chronicles … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/2015-season-recap-kane-county-cougars/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[*NOTE* This is the first of a multi-part series that recaps the 2015 season of Cougars baseball while also providing updates on former and current Kane County Cougars players throughout Minor League and Major League Baseball. This first part chronicles the 2015 Cougars team, which put together one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. Feel free to click on the links below for updated blog posts recapping the 2015 season.
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-chicago-cubs/" target="_blank">Part II – 2015 Season Recap: Cougars Minor League Alumni (Chicago Cubs)</a> 
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/2015-season-recap-cougars-minor-league-alumni-kansas-city-royals-and-oakland-athletics/" target="_blank">Part III – 2015 Season Recap: Cougars Minor League Alumni (Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics)</a>
Hi Cougars fans,
Happy start of the off-season! As I write this, the 2015 Cougars season is officially over as the team was eliminated in the first round of the Midwest League Playoffs by the Peoria Chiefs. One of the most successful regular seasons in our 25-year franchise history quickly transitioned into a bitter exit from the postseason. Within 24 hours of the loss, players and field staff were hundreds of miles away from Fifth Third Bank Ballpark at their respective homes, and the off-season was upon us, just like that.
I think it’s safe to say that Cougars fans have really been treated to some great baseball over the last 2 years. You look at the 2014 season and are still reminded of historically, the absolute best team in Minor League Baseball last year (MiLB-leading 91 regular season wins). That team won BOTH halves of the Midwest League’s West Division and steamrolled through the MWL Playoffs, going a perfect 7-0 while winning the second league championship in franchise history.
Then, this season. With the bar set quite high from 2014, and in the first year of an affiliation agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team shook off a sub-.500 month of April before finishing the first half with a respectable 36-32 mark.
At the midway point, a half-dozen Cougars were selected to participate in the Midwest League All-Star Game, which was held on June 23 in Peoria. Outfielder Colin Bray was named a starter and was joined in the game by infielders Marty Herum and Cody Regis along with pitchers Ethan Elias, Cody Geyer and Markus Solbach.
The second half record was a thing of beauty, though as the team went 48-22 (overall record of 84-54). Those 48 second half wins were a franchise record for most wins in one half of a season, surpassing both halves from the ’14 championship team and breaking the old record, which was 47 wins set by the 2001 champion Cougars squad. The team’s 84 wins were the third-highest win total by a Cougars team over its 25-year history behind 2014 (91 wins) and 2001 (88 wins). The team won the Western Division second half title, featured a pair of pitchers with 10+ wins, a closer with a Minor League best (and Cougars franchise record) 33 saves in Zac Curtis, and a Midwest League batting champion in Ildemaro Vargas.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_922" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-922" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="922" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/2015-season-recap-kane-county-cougars/ro8a0713/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg" data-orig-size="3600,2566" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 7D Mark II","caption":"","created_timestamp":"946684809","copyright":"","focal_length":"220","iso":"3200","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="RO8A0713" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="Cougars infielder Ildemaro Vargas led the Midwest League with a .321 batting average, the 4th-best mark in Cougars franchise history.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-922" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg?w=640&h=456" alt="Cougars infielder Ildemaro Vargas led the Midwest League with a .321 batting average, the 4th-best mark in Cougars franchise history." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg?w=1320 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg?w=150 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg?w=300 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ro8a0713.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>Cougars infielder Ildemaro Vargas led the Midwest League with a .321 batting average, the fourth-best single-season mark in Cougars franchise history.</div>
Unfortunately, those records and accolades mean nothing come playoff time, and the Cougars were quickly swept out of the postseason by dropping two games to Peoria. Just like that, the title defense was over.
The premature playoff finish shouldn’t detract too much from what was an excellent season on the field. So, between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, the Cougars have gone 175-99 in the regular season – that’s a .639 winning percentage. We’ve had it good, Cougars fans.
Starting with team accomplishments, it’s important to recognize that this year’s squad will go down statistically as the best hitting team in franchise history in terms of batting average. The .275 team mark beats the ’01 squad (a team that included future big leaguers such as Miguel Cabrera, Josh Willingham and Adrian Gonzalez) which previously held the record with a .271 average. Ironically enough, this year’s team hit a franchise-low 48 home runs, eclipsing the ’98 squad by one homer for fewest round trippers in a single season.
Four of the top 10 hitters in the league were Cougars. Vargas’ .321 average gave him the league’s batting championship. He became the second Cougar to win the batting crown in franchise history, joining Jason Stokes (.341 in 2002). Victor Reyes (.311), Colin Bray (.308) and Marty Herum (.303) were also in the top 10.
For the first time since 2012, four Cougars players (Herum, Reyes, Cody Regis, Bray) recorded 50 or more RBI. Herum’s 79 RBI was the highest output by a Cougar since Jeff Baisley, who drove in 110 runs in his MVP season of 2006.
Herum etched his name in the Cougars’ record books by finishing with the fifth-most hits in single-season franchise history (155) with Bray finishing eighth (151).
Overall, it was a smart team offensively with experience and consistency in the lineup. Many of the above players spent the entire season at Kane County or close to the entire season. It was a team that had the fewest strikeouts (885) in the 25-year history of the Cougars. It’s important to credit Cougars hitting coach Vince Harrison as well as manager Mark Grudzielanek, who had more than 2,000 hits in his big league career. Players on this year’s team had two great resources with them for the entire year in Mark and Vince.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_923" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-923" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="923" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/2015-season-recap-kane-county-cougars/kcckernels/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg" data-orig-size="6016,4016" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"6.3","credit":"Kane County Cougars","camera":"NIKON D610","caption":"for their home opener Thursday at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark in Geneva.","created_timestamp":"1428447694","copyright":"","focal_length":"32","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.0025","title":"kcckernels","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="kcckernels" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="Under the guidance of hitting coach Vince Harrison, the Cougars broke the franchise record for highest batting average in a single season.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-923" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg?w=640&h=428" alt="Under the guidance of hitting coach Vince Harrison, the Cougars broke the franchise record for highest batting average in a single season." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg?w=1320 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg?w=150 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg?w=300 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/kcckernels53008.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>Under the guidance of hitting coach Vince Harrison, the Cougars broke the franchise record for highest batting average in a single season.</div>
Led by pitching coach Doug Bochtler, the Cougars’ team ERA of 3.10 was second-best in the league behind Quad Cities and second-best in franchise history behind the 2014 team ERA of 2.85.
A pair of Cougars pitchers (Ethan Elias and Nick Baker) won 10 or more games, which isn’t as routine of an occurrence as you would think it might be in the minor leagues. It was the first time a pair of Cougars pitchers won 10 or more games since 2007. Perhaps most impressively, the Cougars featured a closer that re-wrote the franchise history book as Zac Curtis recorded 33 saves, smashing the previous record of 27 held by Bryan Moore (’00 Cougar). The Cougars’ bullpen included some stable arms in Jency Solis (tops in the MWL with 21 holds) and Luis Ramirez (2nd in the MWL with 13 holds).
It was easy to notice the close-knit bond that manager Mark Grudzielanek had with pitching coach Doug Bochtler and hitting coach Vince Harrison. That group of three coaches had the most cohesiveness I’ve seen in any field staff here, with all respect to past years’ teams. It was a group that grew together and worked together. Immediately following a game, it was a routine occurrence to see the coaches, following the post-game handshake line, talking over a particular situation before they even left the field. Over the course of 140 games, it was cool to see that dynamic both on the field and in the clubhouse.
So, who are the top players from this year’s team to watch in 2016?
This isn’t an exhaustive list but I’m going to start with Victor Reyes. Reyes, who was acquired in April by the D-backs as part of a deal with Atlanta (involving a former Cougar in Trevor Cahill), is a 20-year old who can really take a lot of positives in his first season in the D-backs system at Class-A. In addition to batting .311, the soft-spoken Reyes only struck out 58 times in 424 at-bats. His 13 stolen bases were second-best on the team. Only listed at 170 pounds, Reyes could really develop into something over the next couple of years. Going into the 2015 season, Baseball America had ranked Reyes as the #22 prospect in the Braves farm system. He certainly deserves a spot on the D-backs Top 30 list going into 2016.
Colin Bray, similar to Reyes, was one of the most well-balanced players on the team. Bray hit for average, led the team with 27 stolen bases, and was a reliable outfielder, always patrolling centerfield for the team.
Taiwanese pitcher Wei-Chieh Huang joined the club in late May and went 7-3 with a 2.00 ERA. Huang pitched on one of the biggest stages of his young career in July, being invited to participate in the MLB All-Star Futures Game held in Cincinnati.
Starting pitcher Brad Keller broke spring training camp with the Cougars at age 19 (he turned 20 this past July) and had an excellent season at Kane County, posting a 2.60 ERA (third in the MWL) in 25 starts. And Keller more or less made the jump from Rookie-Advanced Missoula, where he pitched for most of last season. To consistently do what he did in 2015 at Kane County bears mentioning.
Zac Curtis, in his first two professional seasons, has now saved 47 of 51 games between Short-A Hillsboro in 2014 and Kane County in 2015. Curtis was named a Midwest League post-season All-Star.
Finally, infielder Dawel Lugo, despite playing in only 22 games with the Cougars, might be a name to keep close tabs on. Lugo was dealt during the season from Lansing (Toronto Blue Jays) to Kane County (Arizona Diamondbacks) as part of a deal involving a former Cougar in Cliff Pennington. Lugo batted .333 in 22 games with an on-base percentage of .372. Before become a Cougar, Lugo batted .335 in 53 games with Lansing. So, all in all, Lugo put the pieces together on a strong 2015 season at the Class-A level. Lugo is only 20 years old.
Several Cougars received well-deserved promotions to Class-A Advanced Visalia throughout the season, too. Those include Bud Jeter (3.12 ERA in 48 relief appearances) and Steve Hathaway (2.00 ERA in 29 relief appearances).
As is the case every year, one of the most enjoyable parts of my job (and of course, the fans enjoy it, too) is following the progression of players who move beyond Kane County as they continue their goal of reaching the Major Leagues. Nothing is promised, and Class-A is still several rungs on the ladder from the big leagues. A successful season at Class guarantees nothing in terms of success at the next level up. But there’s a nice list of players who played a vital role in helping put together one of the best seasons in the 25-year franchise history of the Cougars. And to think, both Missoula (Rookie-Advanced) and Hillsboro (Short-A), the two rungs on the ladder just below us, both won their league championships. Smart money says many of those players are part of our 2016 Opening Day roster as we begin our 2nd season of affiliation with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
As always, thanks for reading! Our next blog post will recap the ’15 Minor League Baseball season involving many of our alumni. We have quite a few familiar faces who were spread throughout Minor League Baseball.
-Shawn Touney
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="924" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/2015-season-recap-kane-county-cougars/team-photo/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg" data-orig-size="4248,2560" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"11","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark II","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1434720905","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Team photo" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg?w=640" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-924" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg?w=640&h=386" alt="Team photo" srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg?w=1320 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg?w=150 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg?w=300 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/team-photo.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>
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<media:title type="html">Cougars infielder Ildemaro Vargas led the Midwest League with a .321 batting average, the 4th-best mark in Cougars franchise history.</media:title>
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<media:title type="html">Under the guidance of hitting coach Vince Harrison, the Cougars broke the franchise record for highest batting average in a single season.</media:title>
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<media:title type="html">Team photo</media:title>
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<title>Minor League Midseason Report</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/minor-league-midseason-report/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2015 21:51:24 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Cougars fans, We’ve officially reached the halfway point on our 25th anniversary season! It’s been great to see some familiar faces at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark over the last 2+ months. Take a deep breath and gear up for a … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/minor-league-midseason-report/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Cougars fans,
We’ve officially reached the halfway point on our 25th anniversary season! It’s been great to see some familiar faces at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark over the last 2+ months. Take a deep breath and gear up for a busy month of July here at the park as we look forward to a great second half of the season.
With the first half in the books, the Cougars concluded play on Father’s Day with an exciting walk-off win against Peoria. Kane County’s 36-32 record was 3rd best in the Midwest League’s Western Division – the team ended up 4 games behind Cedar Rapids for the divisional wild card spot. Quad Cities (maybe this season’s 2014 Cougars so far?) completely ran away from the pack and led the 16-team circuit with 45 wins. The Cougars won their final 9 games at home and have some momentum going into the 2nd half.
Take away last season’s Cougars team which won 45 first half games, and this season’s first half record was the club’s best since 2009 when the Cougars won 41 first half games. For some first halves of the season, a 36-32 record would have been enough to secure a playoff berth, so the Cougars will have some work to do. It all starts on Thursday when a clean slate opens the second half of the season and 6 teams (not including Quad Cities or Cedar Rapids) try to grab a second half postseason spot.
Despite some constant roster shuffling, the Cougars have been led offensively by Marty Herum (80 hits, good for 2nd in the MWL, .315 average is 8th in the MWL), Cody Regis (.309 average is 10th in the MWL) and Victor Reyes, who is batting .294 in 57 games. Colin Bray leads the team with 10 stolen bases and has been the Cougars’ everyday center fielder. Herum, Regis and Bray were named Midwest League All-Stars earlier this season.
On the mound, the Cougars have featured some impressive starting pitching in the form of Markus Solbach (6-2, 2.78 in 13 starts), Brad Keller (3-7, 2.80 ERA in 14 starts), Ethan Elias (6-3, 2.84 in 8 starts), and most recently, Wei-Chieh Huang (3-0, 0.85 ERA in 5 starts). Out of the bullpen, Zac Curtis‘ 13 saves lead the Midwest League and according to Cougars’ records, are the most saves in the first half of a season since Steve Sharpe’s 12 saves in the first half of the 2006 season. Reliever Cody Geyer holds a 1.23 ERA in 24 appearances. Solbach, Elias and Geyer were named Midwest League All-Stars earlier this season.
It’s funny how a season like 2014 – filled with broken records and a Midwest League championship trophy can make you a little jaded, but this is a pretty impressive group of players who really turned it on towards the last 2 weeks of the season. There will inevitably be roster changes to open the second half season and beyond, but there’s a core group of players here who could make this an exciting summer at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_913" style="width: 670px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/geyer_cody1.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-913" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="913" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/minor-league-midseason-report/geyer_cody-2/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/geyer_cody1.jpg" data-orig-size="738,1024" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"3.2","credit":"Picasa","camera":"Canon EOS 7D Mark II","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1431498862","copyright":"","focal_length":"300","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.0004","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Geyer_Cody" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="All-Star reliever Cody Geyer has been lights out in his first full professional season.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/geyer_cody1.jpg?w=216" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/geyer_cody1.jpg?w=640" class="size-full wp-image-913" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/geyer_cody1.jpg?w=640" alt="All-Star reliever Cody Geyer has been lights out in his first full professional season." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/geyer_cody1.jpg?w=660&h=916 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/geyer_cody1.jpg?w=108&h=150 108w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/geyer_cody1.jpg?w=216&h=300 216w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/geyer_cody1.jpg 738w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>All-Star reliever Cody Geyer has been lights out in his first full professional season.</div>
Elsewhere around Minor League Baseball, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs affiliate) recently clinched their first half division title. Led by ’13-’14 Cougars manager Mark Johnson, the Pelicans went 41-28 in the first half (including an impressive 24-11 road record) to carve out a playoff spot.
One of the main themes of last year’s Cougars squad was dominant starting pitching and this year’s Pelicans rotation (comprised of many ’14 Cougars) is no exception. Starter Duane Underwood (’14) went 6-2 with a 1.85 ERA and Jonathan Martinez (’14), part of a trade involving the Cubs last season, is 5-1 with a 2.95 ERA.
Who stands out the most offensively? I see Chesny Young (’14), one of the most underrated hitters for the Cougars late last season, batting .364 and Mark Zagunis (’14), another late-season Cougars hero, batting .320 as one of Johnson’s everyday outfielders. One of the Cougars cornerstones from last season’s championship team, Jacob Rogers, has 9 home runs and 42 RBI.
Double-A Tennessee (Cubs affiliate) has many Cougars alumni on their roster from the ’13-’14 seasons. Dan Vogelbach (’13) was up above .300 for much of the first half before reaching the midway point with a .285 average and 31 runs driven in. Albert Almora (’13) is batting .244 and you might remember Willson Contreras (’13), who was named a Southern League All-Star and is batting .332 with 5 home runs and 34 RBI.
Triple-A Iowa (Cubs affiliate) includes Armando Rivero (’13), who has a 3.38 ERA in 26 appearances. Iowa is now the (temporary) home of catcher Kyle Schwarber (’14), who recently capped off a head-turning MLB debut and short stint at the big league level for the Cubs.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_914" style="width: 670px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-914" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="914" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/minor-league-midseason-report/schwarber/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg" data-orig-size="3456,5184" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1403203586","copyright":"","focal_length":"400","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.0008","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Schwarber" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber made his MLB debut in a big way, batting .364 in 6 games with the Cubs this month.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg?w=200" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg?w=640" class="size-full wp-image-914" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg?w=640" alt="'14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber made his MLB debut in a big way, batting .364 in 6 games with the Cubs this month." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg?w=660&h=990 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg?w=1320&h=1980 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg?w=100&h=150 100w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg?w=200&h=300 200w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg?w=768&h=1152 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg?w=683&h=1024 683w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>’14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber made his MLB debut in a big way, batting .364 in 6 games with the Cubs this month.</div>
Other Cougars alumni who bear mentioning…
Jeremy Barfield (’09) is at Double-A New Britain (Colorado Rockies). Barfield has resumed his career as a position player after spending time as a pitcher in 2014. In 7 games, Barfield is batting .364. What a 2015 for Barfield, who has been in the independent leagues, played in Mexico and is now back in Minor League Baseball.
One of Barfield’s teammates in 2009 when the Cougars were an Oakland A’s affiliate was Dusty Coleman, who is now in the Kansas City Royals farm system. In 33 games at Triple-A Omaha, Coleman is batting .284.
And one of Coleman’s current teammates is ’11 Cougar Cheslor Cuthbert. Cuthbert is batting .271 with 8 home runs and 32 RBI.
Will Scott Alexander (’12) be the next Cougar to make his Major League debut? The right-handed reliever has a 2.14 ERA in 20 appearances at Triple-A Omaha.
Keep an eye on another ’12 Cougar from our two-year affiliation with the Kansas City Royals. Pitcher Andrew Triggs (’12) has a 0.84 ERA in 12 relief appearances at Double-A Bowie (Baltimore affiliate).
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_915" style="width: 670px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-915" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="915" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/minor-league-midseason-report/triggs-001-2/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg" data-orig-size="1600,1067" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Picasa","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1340953624","copyright":"","focal_length":"300","iso":"1250","shutter_speed":"0.001","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Triggs-001" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’12 Cougar Andrew Triggs is now in the Baltimore system after playing at Kane County as a Royals minor leaguer.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg?w=640" class="size-full wp-image-915" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg?w=640" alt="'12 Cougar Andrew Triggs is now in the Baltimore system after playing at Kane County as a Royals minor leaguer." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg?w=660&h=440 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg?w=1320&h=880 1320w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg?w=150&h=100 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg?w=300&h=200 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg?w=768&h=512 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/triggs-001.jpg?w=1024&h=683 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>’12 Cougar Andrew Triggs is now in the Baltimore system after playing at Kane County as a Royals minor leaguer.</div>
Remember Denny Bautista from the 2001 Cougars championship squad? The 34-year old Bautista, who made his big league debut in 2004 and most recently pitched in the bigs in 2010, is attempting to get back there. Bautista has split this season between Class-A Greenville and High-A Salem in the Red Sox farm system.
Just one rung up the ladder from the Cougars in the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system, Zack Godley (’14) is 8-3 with a 2.27 ERA at High-A Visalia.
A total of 5 Cougars alumni have made their MLB debuts so far in 2015: ’14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber (Cubs), ’09 Cougar Tyler Ladendorf (Oakland), ’13 Cougar Andrew McKirahan (Atlanta), ’11 Cougar Sugar Ray Marimon (Atlanta) and ’11-’12 Cougar Orlando Calixte (Kansas City). Already this season, the Cougars’ 5 MLB debuts is the largest # of single-season big league call-ups since the 2011 season when five players (Jemile Weeks, Justin Sellers, Anthony Recker, Andrew Carignan and Corey Brown) debuted.
It’s always great to chart the progress of players who have called Kane County home as they continue their drive to reach the Major Leagues. We’ll have an update on our current big league alumni at the midway point of the Major League season next month!
-Shawn Touney
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<media:title type="html">All-Star reliever Cody Geyer has been lights out in his first full professional season.</media:title>
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<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/schwarber.jpg" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">'14 Cougar Kyle Schwarber made his MLB debut in a big way, batting .364 in 6 games with the Cubs this month.</media:title>
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<media:title type="html">'12 Cougar Andrew Triggs is now in the Baltimore system after playing at Kane County as a Royals minor leaguer.</media:title>
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<title>Major League Spring Training Camps Include Cougars Alumni</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/major-league-spring-training-camps-include-cougars-alumni/</link>
<comments>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/major-league-spring-training-camps-include-cougars-alumni/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2015 19:18:42 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kccougars.wordpress.com/?p=904</guid>
<description><![CDATA[GENEVA, Ill. – With warm thoughts of Major League Baseball spring training now underway, many former Kane County Cougars are gearing up for the 2015 season. Here’s a brief snapshot of Cougars alumni at various spring training sites. Building on … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/major-league-spring-training-camps-include-cougars-alumni/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[GENEVA, Ill. – With warm thoughts of Major League Baseball spring training now underway, many former Kane County Cougars are gearing up for the 2015 season. Here’s a brief snapshot of Cougars alumni at various spring training sites.
Building on 2014. One of the higher profile free agent signings this off-season, outfielder Nelson Cruz (’03 Cougar) begins his first season with Seattle and joins an offensively-charged lineup. Cruz led Major League Baseball with 40 home runs last season for Baltimore. Both his home run and RBI (108) totals from 2014 were career bests. Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Adrian Gonzalez (’01) recorded 116 RBI last season, a National League best, while winning his second career Silver Slugger Award and fourth Gold Glove Award. Los Angeles Angels closer Huston Street (’04) recorded 41 saves last season and entering 2015, ranks 30th on the all-time MLB list with 275 saves. San Francisco Giants reliever Santiago Casilla (’03-’04) is now a three-time World Series champion. Detroit infielder Miguel Cabrera (’01) is setting the goal of being ready by Opening Day after undergoing off-season surgery to his right foot. Cabrera, just 31 years old, has 390 home runs, 1,369 RBI and a .320 batting average in his 12-year big league career. Kansas City pitcher Yordano Ventura (’11) went 14-10 for the 2014 American League champion Royals in his first full big league season. San Diego pitcher Tyson Ross (’08) was named a Major League All-Star for the first time in 2014. Ross won 13 games while posting an impressive 2.84 ERA.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_905" style="width: 580px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/adrian_gonzalez.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-905" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="905" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/major-league-spring-training-camps-include-cougars-alumni/adrian_gonzalez-3/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/adrian_gonzalez.jpg" data-orig-size="570,800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Adrian_Gonzalez" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="Former Cougar Adrian Gonzalez (’01 Cougar) recorded a National League-best 116 RBI last season.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/adrian_gonzalez.jpg?w=214" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/adrian_gonzalez.jpg?w=570" class="size-full wp-image-905" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/adrian_gonzalez.jpg?w=640" alt="Former Cougar Adrian Gonzalez ('01 Cougar) recorded a National League-best 116 RBI last season." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/adrian_gonzalez.jpg 570w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/adrian_gonzalez.jpg?w=107&h=150 107w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/adrian_gonzalez.jpg?w=214&h=300 214w" sizes="(max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px" /></a>Former Cougar Adrian Gonzalez (’01 Cougar) recorded a National League-best 116 RBI last season.</div>
Cougars’ Major League Affiliate Includes Alumni. The Cougars, which kick off their first season of affiliation with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015, have a pair of familiar names who are part of the D-backs roster. Pitcher Trevor Cahill (’07) is looking to bounce back from a 3-12 season with the D-backs in 2014. Infielder Cliff Pennington (’05) batted .254 in 68 games last season.
Around The Horn. A total of 36 former Cougars appeared in at least one Major League game last season and through the end of last season, a total of 128 former Cougars have now reached the major leagues. Four of those 36 players, Bo Schultz (’10), Justin Marks (’10), Aaron Brooks (’12) and Lane Adams (’11-’12) made major league debuts in 2014. Pitcher A.J. Burnett (’98) signed an off-season deal with Pittsburgh. Burnett is the Cougars’ single-season leader for most strikeouts in a season with 186. Several former Cougars were invited to Cubs major league spring training including pitchers Pierce Johnson (’13-’14), Armando Rivero (’13), outfielder Albert Almora (’13) and catcher Kyle Schwarber (’14). Non-roster invitees to Kansas City Royals major league spring training camp included pitcher Scott Alexander (’12) and outfielder Brett Eibner (’11) along with pitcher Joe Blanton (’03), who was signed to a minor league deal by the Royals. Blanton did not pitch in a big league game in 2014. Pitcher Dontrelle Willis (’02) hasn’t pitched in a big league game since 2011, but the popular former Cougar is at Milwaukee Brewers camp as a minor league free agent signing and is hoping to land a big league roster spot.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_906" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-906" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="906" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/major-league-spring-training-camps-include-cougars-alumni/blanton/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg" data-orig-size="1304,1545" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D1H","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1051917743","copyright":"","focal_length":"300","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0.0002","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Blanton" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="Former Cougar Joe Blanton (’03) is hoping to make a return to the big leagues after not pitching in a major league game last season.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg?w=253" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg?w=640" class="size-large wp-image-906" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg?w=640&h=759" alt="Former Cougar Joe Blanton ('03) is hoping to make a return to the big leagues after not pitching in a major league game last season." srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg?w=660 660w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg?w=127 127w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg?w=253 253w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg?w=864 864w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg 1304w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></a>Former Cougar Joe Blanton (’03) is hoping to make a return to the big leagues after not pitching in a major league game last season.</div>
The Kane County Cougars, Major League affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, are the only Major League affiliated Minor League Baseball team in the Chicagoland area. Opening Day is set for Thursday evening, April 9 at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark as the Cougars host Cedar Rapids at 6:30 p.m. Single-game tickets, catered event group outings, season tickets and ticket packages starting at five games, including a “Pick Your Own” plan, are currently on sale by calling (630) 232-8811. The Cougars’ Opening Day roster will not be determined until spring training concludes at the D-backs spring training complex in Arizona. Last season, the Cougars won the Midwest League Championship and were named the “Best Team” in the Minor League Baseball “MiLBY” awards.
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<media:title type="html">Former Cougar Adrian Gonzalez ('01 Cougar) recorded a National League-best 116 RBI last season.</media:title>
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<media:content url="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/blanton.jpg?w=660" medium="image">
<media:title type="html">Former Cougar Joe Blanton ('03) is hoping to make a return to the big leagues after not pitching in a major league game last season.</media:title>
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<title>2014 MLB Alumni Report</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/2014-mlb-alumni-report/</link>
<comments>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/2014-mlb-alumni-report/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2014 18:52:20 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kccougars.wordpress.com/?p=896</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Cougars fans, I hope each of you are hanging in there as the off-season cold has sunk its teeth into Chicagoland. The calendar has officially flipped into December and despite the reality that spring training seems so far away, baseball … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/2014-mlb-alumni-report/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Cougars fans,
I hope each of you are hanging in there as the off-season cold has sunk its teeth into Chicagoland. The calendar has officially flipped into December and despite the reality that spring training seems so far away, baseball has remained in the news as Major League clubs continue to make moves to bolster their respective rosters. The hot stove is churning, so warm your hands next to the fire and that will get us through the weeks and months ahead.
The 2014 season was a strong season in many ways for the Cougars. Obviously, this year’s Kane County squad displayed the most dominant season in franchise history, winning the Midwest League championship and setting numerous records including 91 regular season wins. The accolades extended into the off-season as the Cougars were named “Team of the Year” by both fans and MiLB staff in the annual MiLBY Awards. You can read the full article <a href="http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20141028&content_id=98017054&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb" target="_blank">HERE</a>.
But it’s also worth noting that this year’s Cougars baseball success extends all the way up to the Major League level, as it’s done every year since 1993 when Brad Pennington – a member of our inaugural ’91 team – became the first Cougar to reach the big leagues on April 17, 1993. Pennington became the first of what is now 128 former Cougars to play in at least one game in the Major Leagues. It’s a great list that continues to grow and we actually display the full list on our press box wall, located on the ballpark concourse behind home plate.
Here are some interesting facts, figures and a few opinions on the Major League side of Cougars baseball in 2014.
– Four of our alumni – Bo Schultz (’10 Cougar), Justin Marks (’10), Aaron Brooks (’12) and Lane Adams (’11-’12) made Major League debuts in 2014. Schultz debuted with our current affiliate (Arizona Diamondbacks) while the other three players debuted with a recent affiliate of ours in 2011 and 2012, the Kansas City Royals.
– By my count, a total of 36 former Cougars played in at least one Major League game during the 2014 season. I’ll post the full list at the bottom of this blog but the names range from All-Star superstars Miguel Cabrera and Nelson Cruz to several under-the-radar players such as Josh Wilson and Max Stassi.
– Just two Cougars from the ’90’s decade appeared in at least one Major League game in 2014. That would be pitcher AJ Burnett (’98 Cougar), who endured an 18-loss season for Philadelphia but recently agreed to terms with Pittsburgh in what will likely be his final season. The other Cougar is Alex Gonzalez (’96) who only played in 9 games with Detroit in April before being released.
– Which former Cougar has been with the same big league club the longest? It appears as if that would be ’03 Cougar Andre Ethier, who has been with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 9 years dating back to his big league debut with them in 2006. Ironically enough, Ethier has been in the hot stove discussion as a possible trade candidate for the Dodgers.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_748" style="width: 233px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ethier.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-748" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="748" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/numerous-former-cougars-named-to-arizona-fall-league/ethier-2/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ethier.jpg" data-orig-size="1708,2300" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":""}" data-image-title="Ethier" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier has been in LA since the 2006 season.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ethier.jpg?w=223" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ethier.jpg?w=640" class="size-medium wp-image-748" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ethier.jpg?w=223&h=300" alt="Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier has been in LA since the 2006 season." width="223" height="300" srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ethier.jpg?w=223 223w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ethier.jpg?w=446 446w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ethier.jpg?w=111 111w" sizes="(max-width: 223px) 100vw, 223px" /></a>Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier has been in LA since the 2006 season.</div>
– Four Cougars (Miguel Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Sean Doolittle and Tyson Ross) were named to the Major League All-Star Game in July. This was the 18th straight Major League All-Star Game to include at least one former Cougar dating back to the 1997 mid-season classic. That summer, Florida catcher Charles Johnson was the first of our alums to be named a big league All-Star. How long ago was that? All you have to do is look at the complete All-Star roster that year, a squad that included the late Tony Gwynn, Chipper Jones, Cal Ripken, Jr., Albert Belle, Barry Larkin and Dave Justice, to name several. Young Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera was a first-time All-Star that season, too.
– Some of our biggest alumni continue to add more and more ammunition to their star-powered careers. Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera posted his 11th straight season with 100 or more RBI while batting .300 or better for the sixth straight season. Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Adrian Gonzalez set a career high with 116 RBI while winning his second Silver Slugger Award and fourth Gold Glove as the best defensive first baseman in the National League. Closer Huston Street split his season between the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres, saving a total of 41 games in 2014. Street now has 275 saves, good for 30th on the all-time MLB list. San Francisco Giants pitcher Santiago Casilla is a 3-time World Series champion, being a vital part of the Giants’ crowns in 2010, 2012 and 2014. And Baltimore’s Nelson Cruz reached 40 home runs and 100 RBI for the first time in his career.
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_618" style="width: 499px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-618" loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="618" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/spring-training-camps-include-numerous-cougars-alums/huston_street/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg" data-orig-size="1312,2000" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4.5","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D1H","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1090733302","copyright":"","focal_length":"300","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0.0004","title":""}" data-image-title="Huston_Street" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="’04 Cougar Huston Street continues to move up the list of all-time MLB saves leaders.
" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg?w=197" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg?w=640" class=" wp-image-618" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg?w=489&h=746" alt="'04 Cougar Huston Street continues to move up the list of all-time MLB saves leaders." width="489" height="746" srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg?w=489 489w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg?w=978 978w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg?w=98 98w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg?w=197 197w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg?w=768 768w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/huston_street.jpg?w=672 672w" sizes="(max-width: 489px) 100vw, 489px" /></a>’04 Cougar Huston Street continues to move up the list of all-time MLB saves leaders.</div>
– A couple of our alumni made enormous strides in 2014. That list must start with Kansas City Royals rookie pitcher Yordano Ventura, who went 14-10 with a .320 ERA in 31 games, while striking out 159 batters. Ventura started 4 post-season games and pitched in 2 games of the World Series as the Royals came up just one win shy of winning the World Series. San Diego Padres pitcher Tyson Ross was a first-time big league All-Star and won 13 games while posting an impressive 2.84 ERA.
Baseball Winter Meetings Update
Be sure to follow next week’s Baseball Winter Meetings as the hot stove could be smoldering with trades and acquisitions across Major League Baseball. Several of our staff will be in San Diego for the meetings and while there, we’ll have updates on the Cougars’ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kanecountycougars?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page and <a href="https://twitter.com/KCCougars" target="_blank">Twitter</a> feed. This will be the third winter meetings to ever be held in San Diego and the first one since 1985.
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/winter-meetings.jpg"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="899" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/2014-mlb-alumni-report/winter-meetings-2/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/winter-meetings.jpg" data-orig-size="307,104" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Winter Meetings" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/winter-meetings.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/winter-meetings.jpg?w=307" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-899" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/winter-meetings.jpg?w=640" alt="Winter Meetings" srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/winter-meetings.jpg 307w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/winter-meetings.jpg?w=150&h=51 150w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/winter-meetings.jpg?w=300&h=102 300w" sizes="(max-width: 307px) 100vw, 307px" /></a>
As always, thanks for reading and for your support of Cougars baseball!
-Shawn Touney
Full list of Kane County alumni who appeared in the Major Leagues in 2014:
Lane Adams (’11-’12) – Kansas City Royals 
John Baker (’03) – Chicago Cubs 
Josh Beckett (’00) – Los Angeles Dodgers 
Ronald Belisario (’02) – Chicago White Sox 
Aaron Brooks (’12) – Kansas City Royals 
Corey Brown (’08) – Boston Red Sox 
AJ Burnett (’98) – Philadelphia Phillies 
Jared Burton (’03) – Minnesota Twins 
Miguel Cabrera (’01) – Detroit Tigers 
Trevor Cahill (’07) – Arizona Diamondbacks 
Santiago Casilla (’03-’04) – San Francisco Giants 
Michael Choice (’10) – Texas Rangers 
Nelson Cruz (’03) – Baltimore Orioles 
Sean Doolittle (’07) – Oakland Athletics 
Andre Ethier (’03) – Los Angeles Dodgers 
Pedro Figueroa (’09) – Texas Rangers 
Adrian Gonzalez (’01) – Los Angeles Dodgers 
Alex Gonzalez (’96) – Detroit Tigers 
Ian Krol (’10) – Detroit Tigers 
Justin Marks (’10) – Kansas City Royals 
Vin Mazzaro (’06) – Pittsburgh Pirates 
Cliff Pennington (’05) – Arizona Diamondbacks 
Gregorio Petit (’05) – Houston Astros 
Anthony Recker (’06) – New York Mets 
Henry Rodriguez (’07) – Miami Marlins 
Tyson Ross (’08) – San Diego Padres 
Bo Schultz (’10) – Arizona Diamondbacks 
Justin Sellers (’06) – Cleveland Indians 
Max Stassi (’10) – Houston Astros 
Dan Straily (’10) – Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs 
Huston Street (’04) – Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres 
Yordano Ventura (’11) – Kansas City Royals 
Ryan Webb (’05) – Baltimore Orioles 
Jemile Weeks (’08) – Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox 
Josh Willingham (’01) – Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals 
Josh Wilson (’01) – Texas Rangers
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<media:title type="html">Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier has been in LA since the 2006 season.</media:title>
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<media:title type="html">'04 Cougar Huston Street continues to move up the list of all-time MLB saves leaders.</media:title>
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<media:title type="html">Winter Meetings</media:title>
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<title>Your Favorite Moments From The 2014 Season</title>
<link>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/your-favorite-moments-from-the-2014-season/</link>
<comments>https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/your-favorite-moments-from-the-2014-season/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kane County Cougars]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2014 15:25:24 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Last month, we asked Cougars fans to share some of their favorite moments from the 2014 season. We’d like to thank everyone for their thoughts and photos through social media as well as by email. The 2014 season was filled … <a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/your-favorite-moments-from-the-2014-season/">Continue reading →</a>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Last month, we asked Cougars fans to share some of their favorite moments from the 2014 season. We’d like to thank everyone for their thoughts and photos through social media as well as by email. The 2014 season was filled with historic record-breaking achievements that were set by the team who ultimately delivered a Midwest League Championship. And off the field, it was a season filled with fan-friendly fun and special memories enjoyed by more than 400,000 fans. These are the stories we love to hear and will inevitably get us through another Chicago winter as we count down to Opening Day on April 9, 2015!
Gregory P. (via Facebook): Had never been to a Cougars game. My son won tickets thru the Elmhurst historical society. Outstanding seats. My son had never gotten a baseball from the field (and we’ve been to a ton of baseball games all over), whether foul ball or being thrown from a player…until this trip. Thanks to Cael Brockmeyer, my sons dream of getting a ball from a player came true (he threw it to us and I actually caught it)! The evening was topped off by your wonderful fireworks! Perfect day for all. My son will never forget.
<img src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/p160x160/10659183_10202647319199467_8193183137128136816_n.jpg?oh=c6fcc6d8fa8f840f5b712e1334ec05ef&oe=54B12F0B" alt="Gregory Pas's photo." />
Michelle B. (via Facebook): Storm trooper selfie!!
<img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/p160x160/1016468_10202907469912556_7568402914518924194_n.jpg?oh=66620ea6a4deb897a85f3cd1b2aa01f9&oe=54E49FD1&__gda__=1424607508_3eb575ca0c28642015b6e39ef685a6f0" alt="Michelle Bell's photo." />
Kristine F. (via Facebook): Our family LOVES attending Cougars games! We went to many this year, but the one that really stands out was on July 3rd. The POW/MIA Table of Remembrance was so moving! I cried through the whole pregame ceremony. My mom had a cousin who was MIA in the Korean War so it was especially touching for me. Thank you!
Brigid B. (via Facebook): Getting married in the super suite! Wonderful customer service provided by Paul and a delicious dinner prepared by Chef Jon!
<img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10635830_10204532739311238_5683728758764569568_n.jpg?oh=947cce4e8fed25a60aa19ec7ae12a58d&oe=54ABB42B&__gda__=1421044029_1395ba12868cea2af6b06e386b528211" alt="" />
Darcy K. (via Email): It was of course special to me and my husband Mike Knapp (a reporter covering the Cougars for the past 15 years for the Aurora Beacon) because we had a wedding celebration at the Cougars game on July 26. The Cougars Game was the site of one of our first dates in 2011! 
<a href="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/dm-123.jpg"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="894" data-permalink="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/your-favorite-moments-from-the-2014-season/dm-123/" data-orig-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/dm-123.jpg" data-orig-size="2789,1860" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS REBEL T3","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1406396001","copyright":"","focal_length":"18","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.0125","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="DM (123)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/dm-123.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/dm-123.jpg?w=640" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-894" src="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/dm-123.jpg?w=300&h=200" alt="DM (123)" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/dm-123.jpg?w=300 300w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/dm-123.jpg?w=600 600w, https://kccougars.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/dm-123.jpg?w=150 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a>
Vicki L. (via Facebook): The Ozzie Homerun walk! I was dead last, but I made it after 3 back surgeries & a total knee replacement!
This one was particularly poignant from a Cougars fan.
I am so glad for this opportunity to thank you, Kane County Cougars. During a summer of financial crisis, no vacations, working 2 jobs just to make ends meet….we could come to a Cougars game for a reasonable fee for a night full of good baseball, people having fun, and even fireworks. 
But to stumble across Thirsty Thursdays was almost too good to be true! We were able to have a couple of beers, a few hotdogs and still stay under 10 bucks! Unbelievable.
Thank you for those Thursdays. For a couple of hours, summer fun became a reality!
ps. As Geneva residents, we were at your very first opening day when our oldest son was just a toddler. Four sons have grown up and we are all planning on returning next season to enjoy a Cougars game. 
And as far as the dream season on the field, perhaps this fan said it best as their experience centered around one of many impressive home wins by the club in 2014:
Hello,
For my son Evan and I, our favorite moment of the season came on August 19. It was the last day of summer for my son, as he had his first day of school the following day. So we were both a little bummed about that as we love the summer and equally love going to Cougars games. This happened to be our 13th game of the season. 
It was a beautiful night, perfect temps and blue skies to start the evening. The game itself was slow moving and the Cougars were struggling to find base runners. They were trailing most of the game. In the 8th they got two on with two out, and our favorite Cougar of the season came to the plate. Jake Rogers smashed a shot over the center fielders head to drive in two to give the Cougars the lead. Burlington pushed back in the 9th but left the tying run on 3rd base with the last out of the game. It was an amazing win and equally amazing to see Jake Rogers get another game winning hit. He’s been our favorite player all summer and he capped a ‘perfect Cougars summer’ for my son and I.
With the win the Cougars ran their streak to 9 straight victories, and pushed to 37 games over .500. Was this our last Cougars game of the year? Nope!!! We went to five more games including a home playoff game in each of the three series, including the last Cougars home game of the year & playoffs. If I had the money we would have surely drove to Ohio to see them win it all. I had more fun watching this team than any other in my entire life. Thank you Cougars! You gave us a magical season that we will never forget.
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<media:title type="html">Gregory Pas's photo.</media:title>
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<media:title type="html">Michelle Bell's photo.</media:title>
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<media:title type="html">DM (123)</media:title>
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