Marlins' fire sale nets bargains for Cougars

The breakup of the Florida Marlins has been a boon to the KaneCounty Cougars.

When the 1997 world-champion Marlins traded away theirhigh-priced players, they acquired some of the best prospects inbaseball.

"We're pretty loaded," Cougars spokesman Martin Cusack said.The Marlins' Class A affiliate that has been a model of successboth in player development and marketing since it joined the MidwestLeague in 1991.Kane County opens its 1999 season today with a roster thatfeatures two of the organization's top pitching prospects and twohighly regarded position players. Left-hander Geoff Goetz, 20, wasthe New York Mets' first-round pick in 1997 and was acquired as partof the Mike Piazza trade. Right-hander Wes Anderson, 19, was aMarlins' 14th-round pick last year and posted a 5-2 record and 1.39ERA in the Gulf Coast League in his first pro season.First baseman Dave Callahan, a left-handed hitter, was athird-round pick last year who hit .371 in the Gulf Coast League.Shortstop Derek Wathan, the son of former Kansas City Royals catcherand manager John Wathan, is a switch-hitter who was selected in thesecond round last year out of the University of Oklahoma.They will play under first-year manager Rick Renteria for a teamthat has sent 43 players to the majors and won legions of fans. Lastseason, the Cougars draw a franchise-best 481,352 fans, an average of7,079 per game. The total was the second-highest in Class A and 11thhighest in the minor leagues overall.The Cougars' success has spawned a minor-league baseball boom insuburban Chicago, with the Cook County Cheetahs beginning their thirdseason next month in a new stadium in Crestwood and the SchaumburgFlyers scheduled to debut in a new stadium as well.Unlike the Cougars, those organizations will not be affiliatedwith a major-league team. The Cheetahs play in the independent ClassA Frontier League and the Flyers will be in the independent Class ANorthern League."Obviously, it will affect our attendance a little," Cusacksaid. "But they're two different types of teams. Our guys are onthe track for the major leagues. Their players are guys who weren'tsigned in the minors or drafted."The Cougars will open at Rockford, which became a CincinnatiReds affiliate after the Cubs switched their Midwest League farm teamto Lansing, Mich. The home opener is Monday in Elfstrom Stadium inGeneva against South Bend, an Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate.