Tag / Kane County Cougars

by jim

Ditching Kane County For South Bend

Kane-County-Cougars-Geneva-ILAfter only 2 seasons, the Cubs have decided to cut bait on the Kane County Cougars and are moving their Single A affiliate to South Bend starting next season.  The marriage between the Cubs and the Cougars seemed beneficial, but Cub leadership was looking for upgraded facilities.

This might not be a bad move for the Cubs.  Between their dominance in the local area and their Triple A team in Iowa, the Cubs already rule from Chicago to the west.  From a fan base perspective, Kane County offered the Cubs little beyond a shorter drive.  South Bend will give them an opportunity to push their brand further to the east.

Meanwhile, the White Sox continue to insist that their entire minor league system reside in the south-eastern United States, cutting down on travel costs but contributing nothing to the big league club’s fan base.

by jim

Which Way To Kane County?

The rumor around town is that the Cubs are about to move their Single A affiliate from the Peoria Chiefs to the Kane County Cougars, which I see was a smart business move.  The Cubs have benefited for years in attendance by having their minor league affiliates close to home, and moving from Peoria to 35 miles west of Chicago should help even more.  Not to mention the ability to send a player on a rehab assignment while still keeping him close enough to the big league facilities for treatment.

While I know it won’t happen, mostly because it would make too much sense, I would like to see the White Sox move to take over for the Cubs as the parent club for the Peoria Chiefs.  Downstate seems to be mostly split between the Cubs and the Cardinals and the White Sox don’t seem too concerned about it.  While the Cubs enjoy the busloads of fans coming in from Iowa or Peoria, the Sox seem content to keep their minor league affiliates at an arms length, with the closest one being in… Virgina?  Or maybe Montana.