Claudio Finol found an unlikely home with the Kane County Cougars

With the bases loaded and the baseball game in extra innings, Claudio Finol showed his composure.

Stepping to the plate in the 10th inning, Finol locked eyes on the Sioux Falls pitcher and delivered a go-ahead grand slam to left field, giving the Kane County Cougars a 7-4 lead and eventually securing a second consecutive American Association championship in 2025.

“I try to slow down everything a lot,” he said of the moment. “Just breathing, man. Just slows everything down so much and gives myself the ability to do what I do best.”

It was the kind of moment Finol had chased since he came to the United States from Maracaibo, Venezuela — even if it didn't come in the major leagues as he dreamed. After bouncing through eight organizations across seven years, the infielder found an unlikely home in Geneva, becoming one of the cornerstones of a Cougars team that has quietly built a successful run.

Born and raised in a baseball- and softball-loving family — his father and uncles ran one of the biggest softball teams in Maracaibo, their trophies displayed at his grandmother's house — Finol started playing at age 6. At 14 he entered an agency academy in Venezuela with access to MLB scouts. Two years later, he impressed enough at a showcase to earn a private workout with the Cincinnati Reds, who signed him.

It was the first time he had left home.

Though he had studied English for two years before arriving in the United States, the culture shock hit hard. He remembered one early trip to McDonald's where he forgot the word “fries,” leaving the staff confused for 20 minutes when he kept using “potatoes.”

But what hit the 16-year-old Finol the most was the demanding pro baseball environment.

“Punctuality is a big one,” he said of adjusting to the professional environment. “The coaches used to tell us, if you're 10 minutes early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late.”

Over the next seven years, Finol stuck with minor-league baseball, working through eight organizations at different levels. His clearest shot at the majors came in 2023 with the Altoona Curve, the Pittsburgh Pirates' Double-A affiliate, where he hit 29 times, scored 20 runs and 12 RBI in 42 games. He also made 80 assists and turned 17 double plays at second and third base.

“I was catching really well. I started hitting pretty good. I started hitting homers, and I was like, 'Oh man, if I can keep doing this and I can keep being active with the team, I have a real shot.'”

Coaches and teammates even joked that Finol was “a few injuries away” from a big-league call, which he explained was because minor league players were likely to be promoted to MLB games if someone went down. The call never came.

In 2024, he brought his minor league experience to the Cougars and immediately became a clubhouse pillar. He hit a career-high 11 home runs that season as Kane County won the league title. The team repeated in 2025, then added the 2026 Baseball Champions League title in Mexico, where Finol hit a two-run home run to give the Cougars an early lead in a 7-3 win over the Mexican defending champion Diablos Rojos del México.

“This team is very selfless. Nobody thinks they're better than anyone, and we like to keep it that way,” he said. “We try to make sure all of our egos are in check. We try to make everybody comfortable in the locker room. Being a good clubhouse environment is one of the best things you can do for a team, and that's why we've been so successful.”

Now entering his third season in Geneva, Finol has found the longest stop of his professional career at Northwestern Medicine Field.

“It's one of the best parks I've ever been in,” he said. “The coaches treat me so well. They've been so good to my family. I will do anything for the club. Everything about this place is magical.”

But even with trophies and a place he loves, Finol hasn't let go of the original dream.

“My goal has always been the same,” he said. “My dream is to make it to MLB.”