The South Bend Cubs are a
Minor League Baseball team of the
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
and the
High-A
High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...
affiliate of the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
. They are located in
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...
, and play their home games at
Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium.
The team was originally known as the South Bend White Sox from 1988 to 1993 during their affiliation with the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
, a partnership that lasted until 1997. They were called the South Bend Silver Hawks from 1994 to 2014. From 1998 to 2014, they were affiliates of the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
. They then became an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and became the South Bend Cubs in 2015.
History
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...
, was awarded a Midwest League franchise in 1988. Originally affiliated with the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
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
The Studebaker Silver Hawk is an automobile produced in 1957, 1958 and 1959 by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. Studebaker introduced the "Hawk" line in 1956, with four models based on the wheelbase and body of the '53 coupes a ...
automobile, which was manufactured in South Bend.
![Reid Mahon 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Reid_Mahon_2007.jpg)
Notable former players include
Brandon Webb
Brandon Tyler Webb (born May 9, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Webb pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2003 through 2009, and, after multiple shoulder surgeries, signed with but ...
, and
Justin Upton
Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "J-Up", he has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tig ...
, the #1 overall draft pick in 2005.
The team's home park is
Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium. 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 three complete games to help the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
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 Casinos, 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 is located at the main entrance in his honor.
Despite playing through rumors of sale and relocation in the near future to
Marion, Illinois
Marion is a city in Williamson and Johnson Counties, Illinois, United States, and is the county seat of Williamson County. The population was 16,855 at the 2020 census. It is part of a dispersed urban area that developed out of the early 20th ...
, the Silver Hawks managed a championship season in 2005, beating the
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton, Wisconsin, Appleton in the Fox ...
and winning the 2005 Midwest League Championship. The team also won league titles in 1989 and 1993.
Former
Indiana Governor
The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government ...
(and former South Bend Mayor)
Joe Kernan Joe Kernan or Joseph Kernan may refer to:
* Joe Kernan (baseball), 19th-century American baseball player
* Joe Kernan (Gaelic footballer) (born 1954)
* Joe Kernan (politician) (1946–2020), American politician
* Joseph D. Kernan (born 1955), Uni ...
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
Andrew T. Berlin (born June 30, 1960) is an American businessman, attorney, and philanthropist living in Chicago, Illinois.
Berlin was the chairman and chief executive officer of Berlin Packaging, a global supplier of plastic, glass and metal c ...
of Chicago, a limited partner of the Chicago Cubs 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. This investment resulted in the construction of The Ivy at Berlin Place, a $22 million apartment complex consisting of 121 apartments overlooking the stadium's left field, which opened in 2019.
Chicago Cubs
On September 18, 2014, the Silver Hawks and Chicago Cubs signed a four-year player-development contract through 2018. Team Owner Andrew 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."
As a result of the name change and new affiliation with the Cubs, team merchandise sales increased by upwards of 700% of their previous totals.
With the launch of the
Marquee Sports Network
Marquee Sports Network is a regional sports network operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Chicago Cubs, launched on February 22, 2020. It is devoted exclusively to Cubs baseball, replacing a trio of channels (cable channel NBC Sports Chic ...
, Marquee indicated that a package of the team's games would be carried on the channel while seeking carriage in the South Bend area.
In conjunction with
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Cubs were organized into the
High-A Central
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
and remained a Chicago affiliate.
In 2022, the High-A Central became known as the Midwest League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.
The Cubs won their second Midwest League championship in three seasons (the 2020 season was not played due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
) over the
Lake County Captains
The Lake County Captains are a Minor League Baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, that plays in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians.
The Captains joined the Class A Midwest League following t ...
by winning back-to-back road games after losing the first game of the best-of-three series at home.
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 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".
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.
Roster
Playoffs
Notable alumni
Hall of Fame alumni
*
Carlton Fisk
Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26, 1947), nicknamed "Pudge" and "The Commander", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1969 to 1993 for the Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971–1980) a ...
(1992) Inducted, 2000
Notable alumni
*
James Baldwin
James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...
(1992) MLB All-Star
*
George Bell George Bell may refer to:
Law and politics
* George Joseph Bell (1770–1843), Scottish jurist and legal author
* George Alexander Bell (1856–1927), Canadian pioneer and Saskatchewan politician
* George Bell (Canadian politician) (1869–1940) ...
(1993) 3 x MLB All-Star; 1988 AL Most Valuable Player
*
Jason Bere
Jason Phillip Bere (born May 26, 1971) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and bullpen coach. He played in Major League Baseball for parts of 11 seasons from 1993 to 2003, for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brew ...
(1991) MLB All-Star
*
David Bote
David C. Bote ( , born April 7, 1993) is an American professional baseball infielder in the Chicago Cubs organization. He made his MLB debut in 2018.
Amateur career
Bote attended Erie High School in Erie, Colorado as a freshman and later transf ...
(2015)
*
Archie Bradley Archie Bradley may refer to:
* Archie Bradley (baseball) (born 1992), American baseball pitcher
*Archie Bradley (boxer)
Archie Bradley (4 January 1897 – 27 March 1969) was an Australian professional boxer of the 1920s. Also known as the ...
(2012)
*
Chris Capuano
Christopher Frank Capuano (born August 19, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher whose professional playing career spanned from 2000 through 2016. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwau ...
(2000)
*
Mike Cameron
Michael Terrance Cameron (born January 8, 1973) is an American former professional Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, B ...
(1992) MLB All-Star
*
Dylan Cease
Dylan Edward Cease (born December 28, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2019.
Amateur career
Cease attended Milton High School in Milton, Georgi ...
(2017)
*
Ryan Cook (2009) MLB All-Star
*
Joey Cora
José Manuel Cora Amaro (born May 14, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball player with an 11-year career in MLB spanning the years 1987 and 1989–1998 and current third base coach for the New York Mets. He played for the San Diego Padres of t ...
(1990, 1994) MLB All-Star
*
David Delucci (2000)
*
Brandon Drury
Brandon Shane Drury (born August 21, 1992) is an American professional baseball utility player for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue ...
(2013)
*
Scott Effross (2016)
*
Scott Eyre
Scott Alan Eyre (born May 30, 1972), is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Ph ...
(1994)
*
Terry Francona
Terrence Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959), nicknamed "Tito", is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox fo ...
(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
Ian Edward Happ (born August 12, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at the University of Cincinnati for the Cincinnati Bearcats baseball team. The ...
(2015)
*
Scott Hairston
Scott Alexander Hairston (born May 25, 1980) is a Mexican-American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs ...
(2002)
*
Roberto Hernandez (1989) 2 x MLB All-Star
*
Ender Inciarte
Ender David Inciarte Montiel (born October 29, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. He made his MLB deb ...
(2012) MLB All-Star
*
Eloy Jiménez
Eloy Arturo Jiménez Solano (born November 27, 1996) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2019 and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2020.
Career Chica ...
(2016)
*
Al Levine
Alan Brian Levine (born May 22, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who pitched 234 games in the minor leagues, and 416 games in the major leagues.
Early and personal life
Levine, who is Jewish, was born in Park Ri ...
(1992)
*
Wade Miley
Wade Allen Miley (born November 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Miley in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the ...
(2009) MLB All-Star
*
Miguel Montero
Miguel Angel Montero Fernandez (born July 9, 1983) is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals ...
(2004) 2 x MLB All-Star
*
Lyle Overbay
Lyle Stefan Overbay (born January 28, 1977) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees ...
(2000)
*
Gerardo Parra
Gerardo Enrique Parra (born May 6, 1987) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants ...
(2006)
*
Brad Penny
Bradley Wayne Penny (born May 24, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Penny played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida / Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardi ...
(1997) 2 x MLB All-Star
*
A.J. Pollock
Allen Lorenz "A. J." Pollock (born December 5, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. He ...
(2009) MLB All-Star
*
Scott Radinsky
Scott David Radinsky (born March 3, 1968) is an American left-handed former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, who had an 11-year career from – and –. Radinsky is also the lead singer of the punk rock band Pulley, former lead singer of ...
(1989, 1995)
*
Mark Reynolds (2004-2005)
*
Gleyber Torres
Gleyber David Torres Castro (born December 13, 1996) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut on April 22, 2018. Torres was an All-Star i ...
(2015) 2 x MLB All-Star
*
Dan Uggla
Daniel Cooley Uggla (born March 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, and Washington Nationals. In 2010, Uggl ...
(2002) 3 x MLB All-Star
*
Justin Upton
Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "J-Up", he has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tig ...
(2006) 4 x MLB All-Star
*
Jose Valverde (1999-2000) 3 x MLB All-Star
*
Brandon Webb
Brandon Tyler Webb (born May 9, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Webb pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2003 through 2009, and, after multiple shoulder surgeries, signed with but ...
(2000) 3 x MLB All-Star; 2006 NL Cy Young Award
*
Bob Wickman
Robert Joe Wickman (born February 6, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Wickman played for the New York Yankees (–), Milwaukee Brewers (1996–), Cleveland Indians (2000–), Atlanta Braves (2006–), and Arizona Diamondback ...
(1990) 2 x MLB All-Star
In popular culture
B-Roll footage of a game between the
West Michigan Whitecaps
The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpark. ...
and the then South Bend Silver Hawks at
Fifth Third Ballpark, was aired in Champ's Whammy! home runs scene in
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Officials with the West Michigan Whitecaps were unaware they would be featured in the movie and only found out after the movie was released in December 2013.
References
External links
*
Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''
{{South Bend, Indiana
Baseball teams established in 1988
Midwest League teams
Arizona Diamondbacks minor league affiliates
Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates
Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates
Professional baseball teams in Indiana
Sports in South Bend, Indiana
1988 establishments in Indiana
High-A Central teams