November 12, 2024
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Kane County Cougars to join American Association of Professional Baseball

Geneva-based franchise will play 100-game schedule starting May 18

By Jacob Bartelson
Kane County Cougars pitcher Jackson Goddard (12) delivers a pitch against the Beloit Snappers in Geneva June 27.

Kane County Cougars pitcher Jackson Goddard (12) delivers a pitch against the Beloit Snappers in Geneva June 27. (Sean King)

The Kane County Cougars officially have a new league home.

Two months after the franchise was not invited by Major League Baseball to remain a minor league affiliate of a big league club, the Cougars have been voted in to be the 11th franchise of the American Association of Professional Baseball, effective this year.

Part of the Class A Midwest League since 1991, most recently as an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Geneva-based Cougars now join a host of Chicagoland affiliates of the AAPB including the Rosemont-based Chicago Dogs and the Gary SouthShore RailCats in Gary, Indiana.

The AAPB will begin its season on May 18 with a 100-game schedule to follow. Fifty games are expected to be held at Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva. Schedule release and further details are pending.

“As we explored all of our options for MLB Partner League membership, the American Association jumped to the very top of our list,” Dr. Bob Froehlich, Owner and President of the Kane County Cougars, said in a news release.

“The American Association has the best facilities, best ownership groups, a wonderful Midwestern footprint and an outstanding governance model. In many ways, we feel like we are going to a Triple-A level league,” the statement continues.

The minor league baseball season was canceled last season due to the pandemic. Founded in 1991, the Cougars served six major league franchises as an affiliate, most recently with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2015 until the severance.

The AAPB currently has 10 alumni on major league rosters. Perhaps most prominent alum is Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who pitched for the Fort Worth franchise in 2007.

“We look forward to welcoming our loyal fans back to beautiful Northwestern Medicine Field this spring,” Cougars Vice President and General Manager Curtis Haug said in the release. “After a year without baseball we know how much everyone is looking forward to enjoying a summer night at the ballpark with the crack of the bat, a pork chop sandwich, a cold beer and the crazy antics of Ozzie and Annie, capped off by a spectacular fireworks show.”

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