South Bend Cubs

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 four-year player development agreement with the Chicago Cubs,[5] and changed their name to the South Bend Cubs.[6]

South Bend Cubs Founded in 1988 South Bend, Indiana
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class	Class-A[1] (1988-present)
League	Midwest League (1988–present)
Division	Eastern Division
Major league affiliations
Team	Chicago Cubs (2015–present)[2]
Previous teams	Arizona Diamondbacks (1998–2014) Chicago White Sox (1988–1997)
Minor league titles
League titles (4)	1989 1993 2005 2019
Division titles (7)	1989 1990 1993 2001 2005 2008 2019
Team data
Nickname	South Bend Cubs (2015–present)
Previous names	South Bend Silver Hawks (1994–2014) South Bend White Sox (1988–1993)
Colors	Royal blue, red, white[3][4]
Mascot	Stu the Cub (2015-present) Swoop the Silverhawk (1998-present) Covey (1988-1997)
Ballpark	Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium (1988–present)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	Andrew T. Berlin
Manager	Buddy Bailey
General Manager	Nick Brown, Vice President & GM

History

Four Winds Field in South Bend.

South Bend, Indiana, was awarded a Midwest League franchise in 1988.[7] 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 three complete games to help the Cleveland Indians win the 1920 World Series. On September 5, 2013, the South Bend Silver Hawks announced an agreement with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, owners of Four Winds Resorts, for naming rights to the 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 Timber Rattlers 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.[8][9]

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." [5]

With the launch of the Marquee Sports Network, Marquee indicated that a package of the teams games would be carried on the channel while seeking carriage in the South Bend area.[10]

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".[11]

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. [12]

Roster

South Bend Cubs roster

Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers -- Jose Albertos  9 Faustino Carrera 15 Derek Casey -- Kohl Franklin 34 Brian Glowicki 39 Fauris Guerrero 32 Brandon Hughes 21 Brendan King 30 Riley McCauley 37 Ivan Medina 35 Zach Mort 16 Eugenio Palma -- Eury Ramos -- Peyton Remy 44 Casey Ryan 22 Cam Sanders 36 Riley Thompson 25 Carlos Vega 33 Blake Whitney		Catchers 20 Caleb Knight 13 Marcus Mastrobuoni 38 Gustavo Polanco Infielders  3 Clayton Daniel  5 Levi Jordan 40 Fidel Mejia -- Christopher Morel  2 Rafael Narea 45 Yonathan Perlaza 27 Jake Slaughter 18 Chase Strumpf 24 Andy Weber Outfielders 40 Brennen Davis 11 Darius Hill  6 Nelson Maldonado  7 Cole Roederer -- Jonathan Sierra 29 Nelson Velazquez		Manager 46 Buddy Bailey Coaches -- Ricardo Medina (assistant hitting) -- Dan Puente (hitting) 19 Jamie Vermilyea (pitching) 7-day injured list * On Chicago Cubs 40-man roster # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporary inactive list Roster updated February 16, 2020 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB • Midwest League → Chicago Cubs minor league players

Playoffs

Season	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Finals
1989	-	W, 2-0, Rockford	W, 3-0, Springfield
1990	-	W, 2-0, Madison	L, 3-1, Quad City
1993	-	W, 2-0, Rockford	W, 3-1, Clinton
2001	W, 2-0, Michigan	W, 2-0, Dayton	L, 1-0, Kane County
2003	L, 2-0, Lansing	-	-
2004	W, 2-0, Fort Wayne	L, 2-0, West Michigan	-
2005	W, 2-0, Southwest Michigan	W, 2-0, West Michigan	W, 3-2, Wisconsin
2006	L, 2-0, Lansing	-	-
2007	W, 2-1, Dayton	L, 2-0, West Michigan	-
2008	W, 2-1, West Michigan	W, 2-0, Dayton	L, 2-0, Burlington
2009	L, 2-1, Fort Wayne	-	-
2013	W, 2-0, Great Lakes	W, 2-1, Fort Wayne	L, 3-0, Quad Cities
2016	L, 2-1, West Michigan	-	-
2019	W, 2-0, Bowling Green	W, 2-0, Great Lakes	W, 3-0, Clinton

Notable alumni

Hall of Fame alumni

• Carlton Fisk (1992) Inducted, 2000

Notable alumni

• James Baldwin (1992) MLB All-Star

• George Bell (1993) 3 x MLB All-Star; 1988 AL Most Valuable Player

• Jason Bere (1991) MLB All-Star

• David Bote (2015)

• Archie Bradley (2012)

• Chris Capuano (2000)

• Mike Cameron (1992) MLB All-Star

• Dylan Cease (2017)

• Ryan Cook (2009) MLB All-Star

• Joey Cora (1990, 1994) MLB All-Star

• David Delucci (2000)

• Brandon Drury (2013)

• Scott Eyre (1994)

• Terry Francona (1992, MGR) 2 x AL Manager of the Year (2013, 2016); Manager: 2 x World Series Champion - Boston Red Sox (2004, 2007)

• Carlos Gonzalez (2004-2005) 3 x MLB All-Star; 2010 NL Batting Title

• Ian Happ (2015)

• Scott Hairston (2002)

• Roberto Hernandez (1989) 2 x MLB All-Star

• Ender Inciarte (2012) MLB All-Star

• Eloy Jiménez (2016)

• Al Levine (1992)

• Wade Miley (2009) MLB All-Star

• Miguel Montero (2004) 2 x MLB All-Star

• Lyle Overbay (2000)

• Gerardo Parra (2006)

• Brad Penny (1997) 2 x MLB All-Star

• A.J. Pollock (2009) MLB All-Star

• Scott Radinsky (1989, 1995)

• Mark Reynolds (2004-2005)

• Gleyber Torres (2015) 2 x MLB All-Star

• Dan Uggla (2002) 3 x MLB All-Star

• Justin Upton (2006) 4 x MLB All-Star

• Jose Valverde (1999-2000) 3 x MLB All-Star

• Brandon Webb (2000) 3 x MLB All-Star; 2006 NL Cy Young Award

• Bob Wickman (1990) 2 x MLB All-Star

References

1. "Teams by league and classification". MiLB.com.
2. Bell, Kyle. "South Bend Silver Hawks Become Chicago Cubs Class A Affiliate". South Bend Voice. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
3. "South Bend Cubs unveil official new logo, colors and home jersey". MLB Advanced Media. December 4, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
4. "South Bend Cubs Style Guide". Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
5. Leventhal, Josh. "Tracking the Affiliation Shuffle". baseballamerica.com. Baseball America. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
6. "South Bend Silver Hawks renamed South Bend Cubs". WSBT/Channel 22. Archived from the original on 25 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
7. "Baseball in South Bend, Indiana". MWLGuide.com.
8. "South Bend Cubs News". MiLB.com.
9. Peterson, Mark. "South Bend Silver Hawks sold, but staying in town". www.wndu.com.
10. Lafayette, Jon (February 24, 2020). "Marquee Sports Network Steps Up to the Plate". Multichannel. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
11. Andracki, Tony. "South Bend Cubs win minor league baseball's top honor". csnchicago.com. Comcast Sportsnet. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
12. Johnson, David. "South Bend Cubs help New Buffalo pupils "Swoop" into reading". harborcountry-news.com. Harbor Country News. Retrieved 11 July 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Statistics from Baseball-Reference