Six Space Cowboys Named 2024 Pacific Coast League All-Stars

Six members of the 2024 Sugar Land Space Cowboys have been named Pacific Coast League All-Stars as announced by Minor League Baseball on Wednesday. They include outfielder Pedro León, designated hitter Shay Whitcomb, starting pitcher AJ Blubaugh, starting pitcher Colton Gordon, starting pitcher Ryan Gusto and reliever Wander Suero.

León slashed .299/.372/.514/.886 in 118 games with Sugar Land, hitting 25 doubles, two triples and 24 home runs with 90 RBI, 78 runs scored and 29 stolen bases. He was fifth in the Pacific Coast League in RBI, tied for fifth in total bases (241), sixth in hits (140), seventh in batting average, eighth in stolen bases and OPS and ninth in home runs and slugging percentage. The 26-year-old had his contract selected by the Astros on July 30 and debuted on August 3 with Houston, playing in seven games at the Major League level this season.

Whitcomb hit .293/.378/.530/.908 in 108 games with the Space Cowboys in 2024, knocking 19 doubles, two triples and 25 home runs with 91 RBI and 73 runs scored while swiping 26 bases. He was one of just three players in Minor League Baseball to hit at least 25 home runs and steal at least 25 bases in 2024 and set a single-season Space Cowboys franchise record with his 91 RBI. The 26-year-old infielder had his contract selected by the Astros on August 16 and spent the remainder of the regular season with Houston. At the time of his promotion, Whitcomb led the Pacific Coast League in RBI and was second in total bases (219) and home runs while sitting fourth in OPS and fifth in hits (121). By the end of the season, Whitcomb still finished among the top 10 in the Pacific Coast League in many categories, sitting fourth in RBI and OPS, tied for sixth in home runs, seventh in slugging, ninth in average and OBP and tied for tenth in stolen bases. After being optioned to Sugar Land on September 27, Whitcomb was named the Triple-A National Championship Game MVP and was also named to the MiLB Awards All-MiLB Prospects First Team on Monday.

Blubaugh made all but one appearance with Sugar Land, 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 led the Pacific Coast League in wins, was fourth 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). He 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.

Gusto spent the entire season with Sugar Land 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 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 and had his contract selected by the Astros on September 29.

Despite missing the first month of the season, Gordon put together a remarkable year with Sugar Land, going 8-2 with a 3.94 ERA in 25 appearances, 24 starts, spinning 123.1 innings with just 39 walks and 124 strikeouts. The southpaw was fifth in the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts and ninth in innings pitched. He reached qualifying status in his final start of the regular season and finished first among qualified pitchers in batting average against (.238) and WHIP (1.22) while sitting third in ERA behind Gusto and Blubaugh. The lefty delivered seven quality starts in his season with Sugar Land and was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week twice. Including his start in the Triple-A National Championship Game, the Space Cowboys went 21-4 in games started by Gordon in 2024.

Suero wrote his name into the Pacific Coast League history books in 2024, becoming the single season saves leader in league history, 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 31 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, and the right-hander led Minor League Baseball in appearances and saves in 2024.

In addition to placing six players on the All-Star Team, Space Cowboys manager Mickey Storey was named the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year, the first Manager of the Year honor in his career.

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.