Sugar Land Skeeters

• Location: Sugar Land, TX
• League: Atlantic League 2012-2019; Constellation Energy League 2020; Triple-A West 2021
• Affiliation: Houston Astros 2021
• Ballpark: Constellation Field

Team History

The Sugar Land Skeeters were on the Houston Astros' radar for a while before becoming their Triple-A farm team in 2021. In 2022, they were renamed the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.

After two unsuccessful tries to put an existing Triple-A franchise in suburban Houston - first the Omaha Royals, then the Oklahoma City RedHawks - the Astros finally got their wish as part of MLB's 2021 Minor League Reorganization - which they authored [1]. Skeeters ownership agreed to sell a majority interest to the Astros while remaining minority owners.

Playing in a ballpark that was built in the hope of landing an affiliated team, the Skeeters joined the independent Atlantic League in 2012. They were the circuit's first team outside of its traditional geographic area in the northeastern United States. The league then stretched from Long Island, NY, all the way to ... Waldorf, MD - leaving Sugar Land more than 1,200 miles from its nearest league-mate. The Skeeters played in the Atlantic through 2019. When the Coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 season, they set up a mini-league of four teams based in the Houston area, the Constellation Energy League, and limited crowds to 1,800. The reorganization took place during the following off-season.

Roger Clemens signed with the Skeeters on August 12th, 2012, after the fanfare surrounding his perjury trial had died down. It was portrayed as a one-time favor to manager Gary Gaetti, a close friend of Clemens. He joined another former major leaguer, Scott Kazmir, on the team's pitching staff. Roger's son Koby Clemens also signed a short-term contract with the Skeeters, catching his father in a game on September 7th.

Year-by-Year Record

Year	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs
2012	64-76	6th	Gary Gaetti
2013	95-45	1st	Gary Gaetti	Lost in 1st round
2014	80-60	3rd	Gary Gaetti	Lost League Finals
2015	68-71	5th	Gary Gaetti
2016	74-66	3rd	Gary Gaetti	Champions
2017	67-73	4th	Gary Gaetti
2018	81-45	1st	Pete Incaviglia	Champions
2019	72-66	4th	Pete Incaviglia	Lost League Finals
2020	14-11	2nd	Pete Incaviglia	None; Champions

Year	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs	Hitting coach	Pitching coach	Coach
2021	71-49	2nd	Mickey Storey	4-6	Ben Rosenthal	Erick Abreu	Sean Connole