The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a
Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
team of the
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
(PCL) and the
Triple-A affiliate of the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
club. They are located in
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land (sometimes incorrectly spelled as Sugarland) is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a po ...
, part of the
Greater Houston
Greater Houston, designated by the Office of Management and Budget, United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, is the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical ...
metropolitan area, and play their home games at
Constellation Field.
The team began play as the Sugar Land Skeeters in 2012 as an
expansion team
An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...
(ALPB), an
independent baseball league
An independent baseball league is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball).
Inde ...
. Their name was a
Southern slang word for
mosquito
Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...
s, which are common on summer nights in
Southeast Texas
Southeast Texas is a cultural and geographic region in the U.S. state of Texas, bordering Southwest Louisiana and its greater Acadiana region to the east. Being a part of East Texas, the region is geographically centered on the Greater Houston a ...
.
Over eight seasons, they won two league championships (2016 and 2018). In 2020, the Skeeters competed in the
Constellation Energy League, a makeshift league they hosted in light of the Atlantic League's cancelled season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minors after the 2020 season, the Houston Astros purchased an ownership stake in the team and made them their Triple-A affiliate in the Triple-A West, which was renamed the PCL in 2022. Also for 2022, the team rebranded as the Space Cowboys. They have since won one
PCL championship (2024) and one
Triple-A championship (2024).
History
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (2012–2019)
In 2008,
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land (sometimes incorrectly spelled as Sugarland) is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a po ...
, residents voted for the allocation of civic revenues toward the construction of a new
baseball park
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part ba ...
. Initially, the
Omaha Royals
Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popu ...
were interested in moving to the city, but eventually declined because of the construction of
Werner Park
Werner Park is a Minor League Baseball, minor league ballpark in eastern Nebraska, the home of the Omaha Storm Chasers (the Triple-A (baseball), Triple A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals) and USL League One professional so ...
in suburban
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
. City of Sugar Land officials contracted
Opening Day Partners to build the ballpark to bring
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Moder ...
to the region. The city knew that the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) would not approve of an affiliated team in the
Greater Houston
Greater Houston, designated by the Office of Management and Budget, United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, is the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical ...
area, so Sugar Land chose the independent circuit. The
American Association and
United Baseball League were considered since both organizations had teams located in Texas. The city decided on the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...
mainly because Opening Day Partners' other teams were already members of that league. Sugar Land's entry was officially announced on May 18, 2010.
In 2012, the Sugar Land Skeeters signed former MLB
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and also played ...
. The Skeeters sold out tickets on August 25, the night of Clemens' start, where he pitched innings in a 1–0 win.
The Sugar Land City Council approved an ownership change on October 28, 2014. The council's action cleared the way for Houston-area residents Bob and Marcie Zlotnik, who had been one-third minority partners since the 2012 season, to assume full ownership of SL Baseball, LLC.
Also in the 2014 season, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball All-Star Game was held at
Constellation Field, home of the Skeeters. Usually, in each annual All-Star Game, the best players from the Freedom Division battle it out with the best players from the Liberty Division. However, in the 2014 event, the best players from all around the league faced the Skeeters. Sugar Land won on their home field by a score of 5–3.
Nick Stavinoha was recognized as the game's Most Valuable Player. The game attendance was 7,555, which was the fourth highest All-Star Game attendance at the time. The Skeeters reached the Atlantic League championship finals that season but were swept by the
Lancaster Barnstormers
The Lancaster Stormers (formerly known as the Lancaster Barnstormers) is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner l ...
in the best-of-five-game series, 3–0.
On September 17, 2015, the Skeeters announced the signing of former MLB All-Star
Rafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964) is a Cuban-American former baseball first baseman and left fielder. He played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three teams. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State Univer ...
, who had been in retirement for ten years. His son, Patrick Palmeiro, was also a member of the team that year. Shortly after signing with the Skeeters, the elder Palmeiro said, "We discussed me playing earlier this year and it's something I've looked forward to since then. The chance to play with my son is an opportunity the Skeeters have offered me and I'm very excited to make it happen this weekend." On September 18, Rafael Palmeiro debuted for the Skeeters batting third, which was the spot right after his son. The father-son duo combined for five
RBIs to lead Sugar Land to a 10–4 victory over the
Camden Riversharks.
They returned to the Atlantic League championships in 2016, where they won the ALPB title against the
Long Island Ducks, 3–0. Shortly after the conclusion of the 2017 season, Skeeters
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Gary Gaetti
Gary Joseph Gaetti (, ; born August 19, 1958), is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins (1981–1990), California Angels (1991–1993), Kansas City Royals (1993– ...
stepped down from his position with the expiration of his contract. Gaetti had been the club's inaugural skipper in 2012 and managed the club for their first six seasons (2012–2017).
The Skeeters reached the championship series in 2018 against Long Island, winning three games to two, to win their second championship overall and second in three years. They returned to the championship series again the following year, but lost to the Ducks, 3–2.
Constellation Energy League (2020)
In 2020, as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the Skeeters organization launched their own four-team independent league, the Constellation Energy League, thereby going on hiatus for the 2020 ALPB season. All games were played at Constellation Field, with limited attendance and other COVID-related restrictions.
Pete Incaviglia managed the Skeeters, who finished with the best record in the four-team league.
Triple-A West / Pacific Coast League (2021–present)
In November 2020, the Sugar Land Skeeters reached an agreement with the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
to be their
Triple-A affiliate beginning in the 2021 season. This move was part of a broader Major League Baseball realignment and direct management plan over all minor league player development. The deal also involved the Astros purchasing a majority ownership share of the Skeeters. Sugar Land was organized into the ten-team
Triple-A West.
The Skeeters began competition as an Astros affiliate in the new league on May 6, 2021, with a 9–4 victory over the
Albuquerque Isotopes
The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...
at
Isotopes Park in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
. Sugar Land won the Eastern Division title by ending the season in first place with a 71–49 record.
No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner.
However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage.
[ Sugar Land finished the tournament tied for 20th place with a 4–6 record.]
After the 2021 season, the team rebranded as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. The new identity incorporates the team's affiliation with the Astros, Sugar Land's proximity to NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
's Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight controller, flight control are conducted. ...
, and cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
imagery. In 2022, the Triple-A West became known as the Pacific Coast League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. The Space Cowboys won the first-half of the 2024 season, clinching a spot in the playoffs. They defeated the Reno Aces
The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...
, winners of the second-half, 2–0 in a best-of-three series, to win their first Pacific Coast League championship. They then won the Triple-A championship against the Omaha Storm Chasers
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...
, champions of the International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
, 13–6. Manager Mickey Storey led Sugar Land to a league-best 93–56 record, and he was recognized with the PCL Manager of the Year Award.
Season-by-season records
Ballpark
In December 2010, StarTex Power bought the rights to name the future ballpark of the Skeeters. The initial name of the field was StarTex Power Field. A year later, StarTex merged with Constellation Energy and the name Constellation Field was born in December 2011. Constellation Field opened on April 26, 2012, when the Sugar Land Skeeters hosted the York Revolution
The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Basebal ...
. The ballpark cost US$37 million to build and is owned by the City of Sugar Land.
Logos and uniforms
Before rebranding on January 31, 2022, The official colors of the Sugar Land Skeeters were imperial blue, nighttime black, rawhide yellow, white, and refinery red. Aside from nighttime black, each color is a regional allusion: "imperial blue" for the Sugar Land–based Imperial Sugar company, "rawhide yellow" for the cattle industry, and "refinery red" for the area's oil refineries. The team's primary logo consists of a mosquito flying over a Texas contour with its proboscis marking Fort Bend County which is located in the Southeast Texas area. The "Skeeters" wordmark centered below is made up of sugarcane-inspired lettering – a reference to the industry's importance to the region. Centered to the right above the contour is "Sugar Land" in black letters with a "lone star." After rebranding the team to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the colors became "light blue, navy, orange, gray and black notes".
Television and radio
On April 24, 2014, the Sugar Land Skeeters announced a deal with ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
that allowed for all home games at Constellation Field to be exclusively broadcast on the Internet channel ESPN3
ESPN3 (formerly ESPN360 and ESPN3.com) is an internet, online streaming media, streaming service owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) an ...
for the 2014 season, an agreement that was renewed for both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Away games are heard on radio station KBRZ.
For the 2017 season, the Skeeters dropped their deals with both KBRZ and ESPN. Telecasts moved to the Skeeters' YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel, while radio broadcasts moved to SB Nation Radio flagship station KGOW
KGOW (1560 AM broadcasting, AM) is a Vietnamese language terrestrial Full-service radio, full service radio station based in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States, owned by Gow Media, LLC. KGOW's programming schedule is leased to a third part ...
.
Mascots
Before January 31, 2022, The Sugar Land Skeeters utilized two mascots. Their primary mascot was Swatson: a large, green mosquito who performed stunts, engaged in fan activities, and was often found throughout the stadium during games. There was also a secondary mascot, the Rally Sloth, who was used in the middle of the ninth inning whenever the Skeeters are trailing. The Rally Sloth was first used in 2019 and was the main mascot of the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths of the 2020 Constellation Energy League. As of January 31, 2022, The Team was rebranded as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys and changed their Mascot to Orion "Of the species “Canis Cosmicus,” Orion is a cosmic space dog that has become the trusty sidekick of the Sugar Land Space Cowboy."
Roster
Notable alumni
*Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and also played ...
– former MLB player who signed with the team in 2012
*Rafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964) is a Cuban-American former baseball first baseman and left fielder. He played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three teams. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State Univer ...
– former MLB player who signed with the team in 2015
*Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979), nicknamed T-Mac, is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-N ...
– former NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
player who became a professional pitcher for the Skeeters in 2014
* Scott Kazmir – MLB pitcher before and after his 2012 stint with the Skeeters
* Delwyn Young – former MLB player who signed with the team in 2014
* Jason Lane – former MLB outfielder who pitched for the Skeeters in 2012–2013 and returned to MLB as a pitcher
* Ryan Langerhans - former MLB outfielder who played for the Skeeters in 2013
* Scott Elarton - former MLB pitcher who played with the team in 2013 and retired after the season
* Daryle Ward - former MLB player who signed with the team in 2015
* Derek Norris - former MLB catcher who played for the team in 2018
*James Loney
James Anthony Loney (born May 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Mets, and in the KBO League for ...
- former MLB player who played for 11 games for the club in 2019 before retiring
* Hector Olivera - former MLB infielder who played for the team in 2017
* Fernando Perez
*Willy Taveras
Willy Taveras (born December 25, 1981) is a Dominican former professional baseball center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played a total of seven seasons for the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Nation ...
- former MLB outfielder who played for the club in the 2015 and 2019 seasons
* Brett Eibner - former MLB outfielder who pitched for the Skeeters in 2019
* Chris Colabello - former MLB player who played for the Skeeters in 2019
* Mark Lowe - former MLB pitcher who played for the team in 2019
Achievements
Records
Awards
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sugar Land Space Cowboys
2012 establishments in Texas
Baseball teams established in 2012
Former Atlantic League of Professional Baseball teams
Houston Astros minor league affiliates
Opening Day Partners
Pacific Coast League teams
Professional baseball teams in Texas
Triple-A West teams