310px|thumb|right|Kane County Cougars, playing the [[Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Fox Cities Stadium on June 9, 2006]]
thumb|310x310px|Kane County Cougars (white), playing the [[Kansas City Monarchs (American Association)|Kansas City Monarchs (red) at Northwestern Medicine Field on August 6, 2022]]
The Kane County Cougars are a professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois, and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their home games at Northwestern Medicine Field. From 1991 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest League.
History
The Midwest League came to Kane County in 1991 when the Wausau Timbers relocated to Geneva, IL. The Wausau (1975–1990) Midwest League franchise was previously based in Decatur, Illinois (1952–1974). The team has been known as the Cougars since moving to Kane County. They were affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles in 1991 and 1992, with the Florida Marlins from 1993 to 2002, the Oakland Athletics from 2003 until 2010, the Kansas City Royals for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and the Chicago Cubs for the 2013 and 2014 seasons before affiliating with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015.
As a Marlins farm team, some key contributors to the 2003 World Series championship team played in Kane County on their way to the big leagues. Miguel Cabrera has had a notable career and 2003 Series MVP Josh Beckett played for the Cougars in 2000, while Dontrelle Willis had the league's best winning percentage and earned run average in 2002.
The Cougars play their home games at Northwestern Medicine Field, built in 1991. The franchise attendance record of 523,222 was set in 2001. The Cougars are perennially among the league leaders in attendance. On July 20, 2013, the Cougars became the first Class A team to attract 10 million fans. Nancy Faust, after 40 years with the Chicago White Sox, was the stadium organist for selected Cougar home games until her retirement after the 2015 season.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cougars' season was cancelled along with the rest of Minor League Baseball. Later that year, the team was cut from the Midwest League and affiliated baseball as part of Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minor leagues. The team considered becoming a member of the MLB Draft League before joining the American Association, an independent MLB Partner League.
The team won their first American Association Miles Wolff Cup Final in 2024, having gone undefeated in the playoffs. Following their 2024 championship, the team was invited to participate in the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas tournament.
In March 2025, the team was sold by Dr. Bob and Cheryl Froehlich to REV Entertainment. In 2025 despite having a record under .500, the Cougars were able to defend their title going back-to-back for the first time in franchise history. By winning the 2025 season, the team was invited to the 2026 Baseball Champions League Americas, which they also won.
The team has led the American Association in attendance since joining in 2021, and led all MLB Partner Leagues in 2022.
American Association season-by-season record
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="8" style="background:#0d1d3e;color:#d2ac6b; border:2px solid #6fbf46"|Kane County Cougars
|-
!Season
!League
!Division
!Overall
!Win %
!Finish
!Manager
!Playoffs
|- align="center"
| 2021 || AA || North || 44–55 || || 5th || George Tsamis ||Did not qualify
|- align="center"
| 2022 || AA || East || 54–46 || || 2nd || George Tsamis || Lost East Division series (Cleburne) 1–2
|- align="center"
| 2023 || AA || East || 49–51 || || 3rd || George Tsamis ||Lost East Division series (Milwaukee) 1–2
|- align="center"
| 2024 || AA || East || 55–45 || || 2nd || George Tsamis ||Won East Division series (Lake Country) 2–0 <br> Won East Division championship series (Chicago) 2–0 <br> Won Wolff Cup Finals (Winnipeg) 3–0
|- align="center"
|2025
|AA
|East
|49-51
|.490
|3rd
|George Tsamis
|Won East Division series (Milwaukee) 2–1 <br> Won East Division championship series (Chicago) 3–2
Won Wolff Cup Finals (Sioux Falls) 3-2
|- align="center"
! colspan="3" | Totals !! 251–248 !! !! — !! — !! not including 2025
|-
|}
Playoffs
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto; font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
! colspan="9"|Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League
|-
!Season!!Quarterfinals!!Semifinals!!Finals
|-
|1991 ||- ||L, 2–0, Madison ||-
|-
|1992 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|1993 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|1994 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|1995 ||L, 2–1, West Michigan ||- ||-
|-
|1996 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|1997 ||W, 2–0, Wisconsin ||W, 2–0, Cedar Rapids ||L, 3–2, Lansing
|-
|1998 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|1999 ||W, 2–1, Quad Cities ||L, 2–0, Burlington ||-
|-
|2000 ||L, 2–1, Wisconsin ||- ||-
|-
|2001 ||W, 2–0, Beloit ||W, 2–0, Wisconsin ||W, 1–0, South Bend
|-
|2002 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|2003 ||L, 2–1, Clinton ||- ||-
|-
|2004 ||W, 2–1, Peoria ||W, 2–0, Clinton ||L, 3–2, West Michigan
|-
|2005 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|2006 ||W, 2–1, Quad Cities ||W, 2–0, Beloit ||L, 3–1, West Michigan
|-
|2007 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|2008 ||L, 2–0, Burlington ||- ||-
|-
|2009 ||L, 2–0, Burlington ||- ||-
|-
|2010 ||W, 2–1, Quad Cities ||L, 2–1, Clinton ||-
|-
|2011 ||W, 2–1, Burlington||L, 2–0, Quad Cities ||-
|-
|2012 ||L, 2–0, Fort Wayne ||- ||-
|-
|2013 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|2014 ||W, 2–0, Wisconsin ||W, 2–0, Cedar Rapids ||W, 3–0, Lake County
|-
|2015 ||L, 2–0, Peoria ||- ||-
|-
|2016 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|2017 ||L, 2–0, Cedar Rapids ||- ||-
|-
|2018 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|2019 ||L, 2–0, Clinton||- ||-
|-
! colspan="9"|Kane County Cougars of the American Association of Professional Baseball
|-
|2021 ||- ||- ||-
|-
|2022 ||L, 2–1 Cleburne ||- ||-
|-
|2023 ||L, 2–1 Milwaukee ||- ||-
|-
|2024 ||W, 2–0 Lake Country ||W, 2–0 Chicago ||W, 3–0 Winnipeg
|-
|2025
|W, 2–1 Milwaukee
|W, 3–2 Chicago
|W, 3–2 Sioux Falls
|}
Mascots
The team's mascots are Ozzie T. Cougar and his sister Annie T. Cougar.
Roster
Notable alumni
Notable franchise alumni include:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Name
!Years played for Cougars
!Year of MLB debut
!Notable Accomplishments
|-
|Casey Crosby
|2025–present
|2012
|
|-
|Blake Rutherford
|2025–present
|2023
|
|-
|Robby Martin
|2025–present
|
|
|-
|Brett Phillips
|2025
|2017
|
|-
|Chris Mazza
|2025–present
|2019
|
|-
|Hayden Dunhurst
|2024–25
|
|
|-
|Greg Mahle
|2024
|2016
|
|-
|Héctor Sánchez
| rowspan="4" |2023
|2011
|2012 World Series Champion
|-
|James Reeves
|
|
|-
|T.J. Bennett
|
|
|-
|Pete Kozma
|2011
|2011 World Series Champion
|-
|Cornelius Randolph
|2022–24
|
|10th overall pick of the 2015 MLB Draft, 2024 Miles Wolff Cup MVP
|-
|Mitch Nay
| rowspan="8" |2022
|
|
|-
|Nick Franklin
|2013
|
|-
|Mike Morin
|2014
|
|-
|Steve Lombardozzi Jr.
|2011
|
|-
|Sherman Johnson
|2018
|
|-
|Jack Anderson
|
|
|-
|Bryce Brentz
|2014
|
|-
|Ryan Tapani
|
|-
|Vance Worley
|2021–22
|2010
|
|-
|Josh Tols
| rowspan="4" |2021
|
|
|-
|Kacy Clemens
|
|
|-
|Jake Cosart
|
|
|-
|Anfernee Seymour
|
|
|-
|Blaze Alexander
| rowspan="9" |2019
|2024
|
|-
|Levi Kelly
|
|
|-
|Luis Frías
|2021
|
|-
|Kristian Robinson
|
|
|-
|Dominic Fletcher
|2023
|
|-
|Buddy Kennedy
|2022
|
|-
|José Cuas
|2022
|
|-
|Alek Thomas
|2022
|2019 Midwest League MVP
|-
|Geraldo Perdomo
|2021
|
|-
|José Caballero
| rowspan="3" |2018
|2023
|
|-
|Jhoan Durán
|2022
|
|-
|Matt Peacock
|2021
|
|-
|José Herrera
|2017–19
|2022
|
|-
|Jazz Chisholm Jr.
| rowspan="2" |2017–18
|2020
|
|-
|Carlos Bustamante
|
|
|-
|Tommy Eveld
| rowspan="9" |2017
|
|
|-
|J. J. Hoover
|2012
|
|-
|Connor Grey
|
|pitched perfect game against Clinton LumberKings Sep. 1
|-
|Ben DeLuzio
|2022
|
|-
|Anfernee Grier
|
|
|-
|Riley Smith
|2020
|
|-
|Colin Poche
|2019
|
|-
|Kevin Ginkel
|2019
|
|-
|Jon Duplantier
|2019
|
|-
|Luis Alejandro Basabe
|2016–18
|
|
|-
|Marcus Wilson
| rowspan="3" |2016–17
|2022
|
|-
|Sam McWilliams
|
|
|-
|Junior García
|
|
|-
|Gabe Speier
| rowspan="6" |2016
|2019
|
|-
|Yuhei Nakaushiro
|
|
|-
|Taylor Clarke
|2019
|
|-
|Joel Payamps
|2019
|
|-
|Alex Young
|2019
|
|-
|Gabriel Moya
|2017
|
|-
|Touki Toussaint
|2015
|2018
|
|-
|Wei-Chieh Huang
|2015; 2017
|2019
|
|-
|Sergio Alcántara
| rowspan="2" |2015–16
|2020
|
|-
|Ryan Burr
|2018
|
|-
|Steve Hathaway
| rowspan="10" |2015
|2016
|
|-
|Oscar Hernández
|2015
|Called-up to the Diamondbacks less than one month after being promoted to the Cougars
|-
|Dawel Lugo
|2018
|
|-
|Josh Taylor
|2019
|
|-
|Ildemaro Vargas
|2017
|
|-
|Michael Pérez
|2018
|
|-
|Zac Curtis
|2016
|Set team record for most saves in a season (2015) at 33
|-
|Víctor Reyes
|2018
|
|-
|Brad Keller
|2018
|
|-
|Steven Hathaway
|2016
|
|-
|Kyuji Fujikawa
| rowspan="12" |2014
|2013
|
|-
|Ryan Sweeney
|2006
|
|-
|Jasvir Rakkar
|
|
|-
|Duane Underwood Jr.
|2018
|
|-
|Jen-Ho Tseng
|2017
|
|-
|Jacob Hannemann
|2017
|
|-
|Paul Blackburn
|2017
|
|-
|Víctor Caratini
|2017
|
|-
|Mark Zagunis
|2017
|
|-
|Zack Godley
|2015
|
|-
|Kyle Schwarber
|2015
|MLB All-Star, 2016 World Series Champion
|-
|Gerardo Concepción
|2016
|
|-
|David Bote
| rowspan="3" |2013–14
|2018
|
|-
|Pierce Johnson
|2017
|
|-
|Jeimer Candelario
|2016
|
|-
|Luis Valbuena
| rowspan="16" |2013
|2008
|
|-
|Trevor Gretzky
|
|
|-
|Shawn Camp
|2004
|
|-
|Rafael Dolis
|2011
|
|-
|Lendy Castillo
|2012
|
|-
|Armando Rivero
|
|
|-
|Tayler Scott
|2019
|
|-
|Dillon Maples
|2017
|
|-
|Daniel Vogelbach
|2016
|MLB All-Star
|-
|Rob Zastryzny
|2016
|
|-
|Félix Peña
|2016
|
|-
|Willson Contreras
|2016
|2× MLB All-Star, 2016 World Series Champion
|-
|Albert Almora
|2016
|2016 World Series Champion
|-
|Marco Hernández
|2016
|
|-
|Andrew McKirahan
|2015
|
|-
|Scott Baker
|2005
|
|-
|Jack López
| rowspan="8" |2012
|2021
|
|-
|Kyle Zimmer
|2019
|
|-
|Brooks Pounders
|2016
|2014 No-Hitter
|-
|Jorge Bonifacio
|2017
|
|-
|Andrew Triggs
|2016
|
|-
|Tim Melville
|2016
|
|-
|Scott Alexander
|2015
|
|-
|Aaron Brooks
|2014
|
|-
|Lane Adams
| rowspan="2" |2011–12
|2014
|
|-
|Orlando Calixte
|2015
|
|-
|Fernando Cruz
| rowspan="8" |2011
|2022
|
|-
|Ryan Jenkins
|
|
|-
|Jason Adam
|2018
|
|-
|Juan Graterol
|2016
|
|-
|Yordano Ventura
|2013
|2015 World Series Champion
|-
|Brett Eibner
|2016
|
|-
|Cheslor Cuthbert
|2015
|
|-
|Sugar Ray Marimon
|2015
|
|-
|Justin Marks
| rowspan="6" |2010
|2014
|
|-
|Bo Schultz
|2014
|
|-
|Michael Choice
|2013
|
|-
|Max Stassi
|2013
|
|-
|Ian Krol
|2013
|
|-
|Daniel Straily
|2012
|
|-
|Murphy Smith
|2009–2010
|2018
|
|-
|Shawn Haviland
| rowspan="7" |2009
|
|
|-
|Pedro Figueroa
|2012
|
|-
|Grant Desme
|
|
|-
|Dusty Coleman
|2015
|
|-
|Tyler Ladendorf
|2015
|
|-
|Mickey Storey
|2012
|
|-
|Pedro Figuero
|2012
|
|-
|Scott Mitchinson
| rowspan="4" |2008
|
|
|-
|Tyson Ross
|2010
|MLB All-Star
|-
|Corey Brown
|2011
|
|-
|Jemile Weeks
|2011
|
|-
|Travis Banwart
| rowspan="7" |2007
|
|
|-
|Trevor Cahill
|2009
|MLB All-Star, 2016 World Series Champion
|-
|Sean Doolittle
|2012
|2× MLB All-Star, 2019 World Series Champion
|-
|Andrew Bailey
|2009
|2× MLB All-Star, 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
|-
|Andrew Carignan
|2011
|
|-
|Sam Demel
|2010
|
|-
|Henry Rodríguez
|2009
|
|-
|Joey Newby
|2006–07
|
|
|-
|Vin Mazzaro
| rowspan="7" |2006
|2009
|
|-
|Ben Jukich
|
|
|-
|Jeff Gray
|2008
|
|-
|Anthony Recker
|2011
|
|-
|Justin Sellers
|2011
|
|-
|Brad Kilby
|2009
|
|-
|Jeff Baisley
|2008
|2006 Midwest League MVP, holds team record of 110 RBI in a season (2006)