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Space Cowboys Announce Team Awards For 2024

Whitcomb Earns Team MVP, Blubaugh and Gusto Named Co-Pitchers of the Year, Suero Named Reliever of the Year
By Garrett Greene/Space Cowboys
October 3, 2024

The 2024 Triple-A National Champion Sugar Land Space Cowboys have announced their team awards for their season. Infielder Shay Whitcomb has been named the Team MVP, RHP AJ Blubaugh and RHP Ryan Gusto have been named Co-Pitchers of the Year and RHP Wander Suero has been named the Reliever of

The 2024 Triple-A National Champion Sugar Land Space Cowboys have announced their team awards for their season. Infielder Shay Whitcomb has been named the Team MVP, RHP AJ Blubaugh and RHP Ryan Gusto have been named Co-Pitchers of the Year and RHP Wander Suero has been named the Reliever of the Year.

In 2024 with Sugar Land, Whitcomb slashed .293/.378/.530/.908 in 108 games with 19 doubles, two triples and 25 home runs with 91 RBI and 73 runs scored while stealing 26 bases in 31 tries. He was one of three players in Minor League Baseball to hit at least 25 home runs and steal at least 25 bases in 2024. His 91 RBI led the team and were the most in a single season in Space Cowboys history. The 26-year-old infielder had his contract selected by the Astros on August 16 and he spent the remainder of the regular season with Houston. At the time of his promotion, Whitcomb led the Space Cowboys in RBI, total bases (219), home runs (25), stolen bases and hits (121) and was second in runs scored.

During the season, Whitcomb put together a 44-game on-base streak from April 7 to June 4, the longest on-base streak in Space Cowboys franchise history and the longest on-base streak in the Pacific Coast League in 2024. He also hit eight game-tying or go-ahead home runs for the Space Cowboys this season and was named the Triple-A National Championship Game MVP in the Space Cowboys clinching game on Saturday. Selected in the 5th round of the 2020 Draft by the Astros, Whitcomb was also named to the MiLB Awards All-MiLB Prospects First Team on Monday and honored as a Pacific Coast League All-Star on Wednesday.

Blubaugh made all but one appearance with Sugar Land in 2024, going 12-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 27 outings, 25 starts, throwing 124.2 innings with 128 strikeouts. The right-hander gave up three runs or less in 23 of his 27 outings and turned in six quality starts during the season. He became the first Space Cowboys pitcher ever to register double digits wins in a season, leading the Pacific Coast League in wins while sitting fourth in the league in strikeouts and eighth in innings pitched. Among qualified pitchers in the Pacific Coast League, Blubaugh was second in ERA, third in batting average against (.250) and fourth in WHIP (1.35).

Taken in the 7th Round of the 2022 Draft, Blubaugh was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week once during the season, was selected to the MLB All-Star Futures Game in 2024 and started Game One of the Pacific Coast League Championship Series, hurling 5.2 innings while giving up just two runs on three hits with six strikeouts, receiving the win in Sugar Land’s 14-2 victory over the Aces, the first Pacific Coast League postseason win in franchise history. He finished first among Space Cowboys’ pitchers in wins and second in innings pitched, strikeouts, ground ball double plays (12) and games started. The 24-year-old was named a Pacific Coast League All-Star on Wednesday.

After serving as the starter for Sugar Land’s home opener in 2024, Gusto spent the whole season with the Space Cowboys and combined to go 8-6 with a 3.70 ERA in 29 appearances, 26 starts, hurling 148.1 innings while striking out 141 hitters. The 25-year-old led the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts, was second in innings pitch and tied for fifth in games started. Among qualified pitchers, Gusto led the Pacific Coast League in ERA while sitting second in batting average against (.242) and WHIP (1.27). He turned in 10 quality starts and led Sugar Land in games started, innings pitched, strikeouts and ground ball double plays (13), and he became the Space Cowboys’ single-season strikeout leader with 141 punchouts this year. Gusto also set the franchise single-game record for innings pitched when he threw 7.1 scoreless innings on August 4 at Round Rock.

The 11th Round pick in 2019 out of Florida Southwestern State Junior College was at his best from the beginning of June through the end of the season, going 8-5 with a 2.08 ERA in his last 18 appearances, giving up just 25 earned runs in 108.0 innings with 98 strikeouts, a 0.96 WHIP and a .199 batting average against. Gusto was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month for July, was recognized as the Astros Upper-Level Minor League Pitcher of the Month for July and had his contract selected by Houston on September 29. Additionally, Gusto was named a Pacific Coast League All-Star on Wednesday.

Suero wrote his name into the history books in 2024, becoming the Pacific Coast League single season saves leader, going 37 for 39 in save opportunities in 2024, surpassing the previous record of 34 saves. Overall, Suero went 7-1 with a 2.66 ERA in 67 relief appearances, throwing 67.2 innings with 71 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .197 batting average against. Including the postseason, Suero converted his final 30 save chances with the Space Cowboys, with his last blown save coming back on May 25. In games in which Suero pitched, Sugar Land went 61-8 including 2-0 in the postseason, with Suero recording the final three outs in both the Pacific Coast League Title clinching game and the Triple-A National Championship.

Signed as a minor league free agent by the Astros on December 7, 2023, Suero led Minor League Baseball in appearances (67) and saves (37) in 2024. He was the only pitcher in Minor League Baseball to record more than 30 saves this season and was one of just two pitchers in Minor League Baseball to make at least 60 appearances during the season (other – Space Cowboys RHP Logan VanWey). The 33-year-old was honored as a Pacific Coast League All-Star Reliever on Wednesday.

ABOUT THE SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS:

The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros and compete in the Pacific Coast League and are the reigning Pacific Coast League Champions and Triple-A National Champions. They began play as the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022. The Space Cowboys play at Constellation Field, located at the corner of Hwy-6 and US-90 Alternate in Sugar Land, Texas. Follow the team on Twitter (@SLSpaceCowboys), Instagram (@slspacecowboys), Facebook (SLSpaceCowboys) and their official website (slspacecowboys.com). Fans can purchase full-season and partial-season plans for 2024 by visiting slspacecowboys.com/tickets.