South Bend Cubs

South Bend Cubs Founded in 1988 South Bend, Indiana
Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current	Class-A[1] (1988-present)
Minor league affiliations
League	Midwest League (1988–present)
Division	Eastern Division
Major league affiliations
Current	Chicago Cubs (2015–present)[2]
Previous	Arizona Diamondbacks (1998–2014) Chicago White Sox (1988–1997)
Minor league titles
League titles (6)	1989 1993 1991 1997 2001* 2005 *Co-champions with Kane County
Division titles (12)	1989 1990 1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 2001 2005 2006 2008
Team data
Nickname	South Bend Cubs (2015–present)
Previous names	South Bend Silver Hawks (1994–2014) South Bend White Sox (1988–1993)
Ballpark	Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium (1988–present)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	Andrew T. Berlin
Manager	Jimmy Gonzalez
General Manager	Joe Hart, President & GM

The South Bend Cubs are a U.S. Class A minor league baseball team, based in South Bend, Indiana, that plays in the Midwest League. Known for more than two decades as the "'Silver Hawks"', they ended their 17-year affiliation with the Arizona Diamondbacks in September 2014, signed a 4-year player development agreement with the Chicago Cubs,^[3] and changed their name to the South Bend Cubs.^[4]

History

Four Winds Field in South Bend.

South Bend, Indiana was awarded a Midwest League franchise in 1988.^[5] Originally affiliated with the Chicago White Sox and bearing the name of the parent club, the team was renamed in 1994. The name "Silver Hawks" was chosen as an homage to the once popular Studebaker Silver Hawk automobile, which was manufactured in South Bend.

Reid Mahon with the Silver Hawks in 2007

Notable former players include Brandon Webb, and Justin Upton, the #1 overall draft pick in 2005.

The team's home park is Four Winds Field. The stadium was built in 1987 and named for Stanley Coveleski, the Hall of Fame pitcher who retired to South Bend after a career in major league baseball that included pitching an amazing 3 complete games to help the Cleveland Indians win the 1920 World Series. September 5, 2013 The South Bend Silver Hawks announced that it reached an agreement with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, owners of Four Winds Resorts, for naming rights to its field. The field is now known as Four Winds Field. As part of the agreement, a permanent bronze memorial bearing the name and likeness of Stanley Coveleski will be installed at the main entrance in his honor.

Despite playing through rumors of sale and relocation in the near future to Marion, Illinois, the Silver Hawks managed a championship season in 2005, beating the Wisconsin TimberRattlers and winning the 2005 Midwest League Championship. The team also won league titles in 1989 and 1993.

Former Indiana Governor (and former South Bend Mayor) Joe Kernan formed an investment group to purchase the Silver Hawks in 2005. At the time, Kernan made it clear that a principal objective of the group was to keep the team from leaving South Bend.

New ownership

In November 2011, Andrew T. Berlin of Chicago, a limited partner of the Chicago White Sox and Chairman/CEO of Chicago-based Berlin Packaging and the new owner of the team, ensured his commitment to the city of South Bend by signing a 20-year cumulative lease agreement for the use of Coveleski Stadium. He then added a public commitment to the citizens of the region that he would invest $2.5 million of his own money to make upgrades to the city-owned stadium.

Chicago Cubs

On September 18, 2014, the Silver Hawks and Chicago Cubs signed a four-year player-development contract through 2018. Owner of the team Berlin said in a statement. "Today is a turning point. I made a promise to the local community and government officials who welcomed me with open arms three years ago. I promised that I would return the team to its former glory days. And I promised that I’d do everything I could to bring people back to South Bend and prove that this is a wonderful place to invest in. Now one of the best and most beloved brands in the history of Major League Baseball is making a bold statement about this place too." ^[3]

Awards

After setting attendance records during the 2015 season, the South Bend Cubs won the 42nd John H. Johnson President's Award as the minor league's "most complete franchise". The award requires a team to succeed in financial stability, contributions to league stability, contributions to baseball in the community and promotion of the baseball industry. The president of the team, Joe Hart, said, "To be selected for this prestigious award over some of the best franchises across the nation is extremely humbling".^[6]

Mascot

The team has two mascots. One is Stu the Cub, who was selected following an online fan vote prior to Opening Day. The other is Swoop the Silverhawk, who was the mascot when the team was known as the Silverhawks, and was kept after the name change. ^[7]

Roster

South Bend Cubs roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 29 Adbert Alzolay 37 Pedro Araujo 33 Casey Bloomquist  8 Jared Cheek 28 Oscar De La Cruz 24 Greyfer Eregua  3 Tanner Griggs 30 Ryan Kellogg 39 Mark Malave 35 Dillon Maples 40 Kyle Miller 25 Jose Paulino  9 Carson Sands † 21 Justin Steele 11 Kyle Twomey 20 John Williamson		Catchers -- Will Remillard  7 P.J. Higgins 22 Tyler Alamo 47 Alberto Mineo Infielders  6 Andruw Monasterio 16 Vimael Machin 32 Isaac Paredes  2 Carlos Sepulveda 17 Matt Rose  5 Adonis Paula Outfielders 43 Roberto Caro 27 Eloy Jiménez 15 Eddy Martínez 13 Connor Myers		Manager 44 Jimmy Gonzalez Coaches 18 Guillermo Martinez (hitting) 36 Ricardo Medina (asst. coach) 34 David Rosario (pitching) 7-day disabled list * On Chicago Cubs 40-man roster # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporary inactive list Roster updated September 4, 2016 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Chicago Cubs minor league players

References

1. http://www.milb.com/milb/info/classifications.jsp
2. Bell, Kyle. "South Bend Silver Hawks Become Chicago Cubs Class A Affiliate". South Bend Voice. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
3. Leventhal, Josh. "Tracking the Affiliation Shuffle". baseballamerica.com. Baseball America. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
4. "South Bend Silver Hawks renamed South Bend Cubs". WSBT/Channel 22. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
5. "Baseball in South Bend, Indiana". MWLGuide.com.
6. Andracki, Tony. "South Bend Cubs win minor league baseball's top honor". csnchicago.com. Comcast Sportsnet. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
7. Johnson, David. "South Bend Cubs help New Buffalo pupils "Swoop" into reading". harborcountry-news.com. Harbor Country News. Retrieved 11 July 2015.

External links

• Silver Hawks website
• FutureBacks - In-depth Silver Hawks coverage