Ten years ago, South Bend’s professional baseball scene changed forever.
After 20-plus years being named the Silver Hawks, South Bend became the Cubs. The minor league team changed its Major League Baseball affiliation from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Chicago Cubs, prompting the name switch in the process.
Becoming a Single-A team for Chicago ― first as Low-A from 2015-20 and High-A since 2021 ― has proved fruitful for South Bend. Merchandise sales continue to rise, more people are attending games and Four Winds Field has become one of the cornerstones of downtown South Bend. The stadium should only be getting better as well, as a construction project to increase the capacity to 10,000 seats will be completed by the start of next season.
While 2025 is technically the 11th season as the South Bend Cubs, it still marks a decade since the name change. Who have been the best players to wear the uniform in that time? Here is The South Bend Tribune’s top 10, focusing on their production with the Cubs more than their future MLB careers. This does not include any major leaguers who did rehab assignments (sorry, Yu Darvish, Dexter Fowler and Ben Zobrist, among others).
10. Miguel Amaya
The future Chicago Cubs catcher batted .256 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs in the 2018 campaign for South Bend.
9. Brian Glowicki
As a relief pitcher, he notched 18 saves and a 1.20 ERA in 67.2 innings pitched in 2018. One year later, he recorded the final out to clinch the 2019 Midwest League championship for the Cubs. He had seven saves and a 1.38 ERA in 26 innings that season.
8. Andy Weber
The offensive catalyst for the 2019 Midwest League championship team, Weber batted .275 with 134 hits and 59 RBIs. The shortstop played in 127 games, almost 20 more than the next-closest player.
7. Felix Stevens
A great power hitter for South Bend, Stevens smacked 27 home runs with 77 RBIs across 104 combined games at the end of 2023 and start of 2024. He is currently with Chicago’s Double-A affiliate, the Tennessee Smokies.
6. Yohendrick Pinango
Few have played more games in a South Bend Cubs uniform than Pinango. He appeared in 272 contests across late 2021-early 2024, playing full seasons in 2022 and 2023 in South Bend. He finished with 136 RBIs, 25 home runs and a .352 on-base percentage in that time.
5. Adbert Alzolay
Alzolay went 9-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 120.1 innings pitched in 2016. He made his MLB debut in July 2019.
4. Gleyber Torres
Playing 119 games for South Bend in the 2015 season, Torres batted .293 with 64 RBIs. He was later a key part of the trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs in 2016. Torres is a three-time MLB All-Star selection, including this year.
3. Porter Hodge
Hodge only made eight regular season appearances for South Bend in 2022, but he went 3-3 with a 2.01 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 40 1/3rd innings. He then started two postseason games, including winning Game 3 of the Midwest League championship series to clinch the title for South Bend.
2. Pete Crow-Armstrong
Before becoming a breakout star in Major League Baseball this year, Crow-Armstrong dazzled in 63 games with South Bend in 2022. He had a .287 average with 15 doubles, seven triples and nine home runs along with 34 RBIs. He also stole 19 bases and flashed his excellent defensive abilities in center field. In the playoffs that year, he went 9-for-28 at the plate as the Cubs won the Midwest League championship.
1. Eloy Jimenez
Jimenez showed why he was one of the Chicago Cubs’ top prospects during his time in South Bend, belting 14 home runs with 81 RBIs, posting a .329 average/.369 on-base/.532 slugging slash line in the process across 112 games in 2016. He has since gone on to have a successful MLB career with the Chicago White Sox.
Honorable mentions: David Bote, Ian Happ, Justin Steele, Dylan Cease, Kevonte Mitchell, Jared Young, Javier Assad, Christopher Morel, Alexander Canario, Brennan Davis, Daniel Palencia, Owen Cassie, Cade Horton, Ethan Roberts, Jordan Wicks, Matt Shaw, Cam Smith, Kevin Alcantara, Jefferson Rojas, Cristian Hernandez.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: A decade into name change, who have been the 10 best South Bend Cubs players since 2015?
Reporting by Austin Hough, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
