Astros Announce 2026 Space Cowboys Coaching Staff
PCL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Astros Announce 2026 Space Cowboys Coaching Staff

Published on January 28, 2026 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


SUGAR LAND, TX - The coaching staff for the 2026 Sugar Land Space Cowboys has been set as announced by the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

The staff features five returning members from the 2025 staff, including manager Mickey Storey, pitching coach Sean Buchanan, development coach Wladimir Sutil, trainer Takeaki Ando and strength coach Sam Knox. Sugar Land's hitters will be led by new hitting coach Drew Saylor and Kara Beitler joins the Space Cowboys as their dietitian for 2026.

Storey continues his tenure as the only manager for Sugar Land as the Triple-A affiliate of the Astros, leading the Space Cowboys to a 375-351 record. The 2024 Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year helped lead Sugar Land to their first Pacific Coast League title and Triple-A National Championship in 2024 and has surpassed 70 wins in five of his six seasons leading Sugar Land. 2026 will be Storey's eighth season as a manager after previous leading Triple-A Round Rock in 2019 and Single-A Quad Cities in 2018, compiling a career record of 540-466 while guiding his teams to a postseason berth or division title in four of his seven seasons at the helm. Originally a 31st round selection by the Oakland Athletics in the 2008 draft as a right-handed pitcher, Storey pitched in the Major Leagues with the Astros (2012) and Toronto Blue Jays (2013) during his professional career.

Buchanan returns for a second season as the pitching coach for the Space Cowboys after leading the Sugar Land staff in 2025. Under his watch, the Space Cowboys recorded nine shutouts in 2025, the most in the Pacific Coast League, while leading the league in opposing batting average (.248) and allowing the fewest runs and earned runs, finishing third in the PCL in overall ERA (4.97), just trailing Round Rock and Sacramento (4.96). In addition to working as the Space Cowboys pitching coach, Buchanan will continue his role as assistant pitching coordinator for the Astros' farm system. Buchanan previously served as the pitching coach Corpus Christi in 2024, the Asheville Tourists in 2023 and joined the organization in 2022, working as the pitching coach for the Florida Complex League Astros Blue. Before working in the Astros' organization, Buchanan was a coach in the collegiate ranks for eight seasons with stops at Lehigh University, Albright College, DeSales University, Ave Maria University, Bard College, Dutchess Community College and SUNY New Paltz.

Saylor comes to Sugar Land to become the hitting coach in his first season in the Astros' organization. He previously was the director of hitting performance for the Kansas City Royals from 2023 to 2025 and was the minor league hitting coordinator for the Royals from 2020 to 2022. Prior to joining the Royals, Saylor spent one year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, working as their assistant hitting coordinator for the minor leagues while also being the manager of the West Virginia Black Bears. The Wadsworth, Ohio native managed in the Dodgers' organization from 2016 to 2018, leading the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to a 245-178 record, including a California League title in 2018 in which he was named the Manager of the Year by Baseball America. Saylor got his start in affiliated baseball in the Rockies' organization, serving as the hitting coach for Advanced Rookie Grand Junction in 2012 and High-A Modesto in 2015 and managing short season Tri-City in 2013 and 2014. He played professionally for five seasons as an infielder starting in the Marlins' organization in 2006 after being selected in the 13th round of the 2006 draft out of Kent State. He appeared with the Astros' organization in 2007 and finished his playing career in the Atlantic League, playing for Chillicothe in 2008 and Lake Erie in 2009 and 2010. Saylor was a Louisville Slugger D-I All-American First Team and All-MAC First Team in his final year at Kent State, winning the MAC batting title when he hit .374.

Sutil enters his fifth season as the development coach, first-base coach and primary baserunning coach for the Space Cowboys. In 2025, the Space Cowboys led the Pacific Coast League in fielding percentage (.982) and committed the fewest errors in the league (91), one of two teams in the league to commit less than 100 errors. Prior to joining the Space Cowboys, Sutil was a manager for the Astros in the Gulf Coast League/Florida Complex League from 2017 through 2021 and served as a coach in that league in 2015. He started as a coach with the Astros at Advanced Rookie Greeneville in 2014 and was back with Greeneville in 2016. As a player, Sutil had a 10-year playing career as an infielder, spending eight seasons in the Astros' system and one year in the Diamondbacks' system before finishing his career in the Atlantic League in 2013. He is the Corpus Christi Hooks all-time hits leader (341) and is second all-time in stolen bases (69), having stolen 20 bases in five of his eight seasons in the Astros' minor league system.

Ando returns to the Space Cowboys as the head athletic trainer for a third consecutive season. He previously worked as the head athletic trainer for the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2022 and 2023 and was with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers in 2021. He was scheduled to be the athletic trainer for the Gulf Coast League Astros in 2020 prior to the cancellation of the Minor League season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ando received his bachelor in sports science from Waseda University in Saitama, Japan and then obtained his master's degree in athletic training at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Knox comes back to Sugar Land for a third straight year as the Space Cowboys strength coach. He worked in the same role with High-A Asheville in 2022 and 2023 and started with the Astros organization in 2021, helping with the Florida Complex League and assisting with instructionals during the offseason. A native of Lake Jackson, TX, Knox played college baseball at Cisco Junior College before working as a personal trainer from 2009 to 2016. He received his degree in kinesiology from the University of Houston and worked at Dynamic Sports Training in Houston from 2016 to 2021.

Beitler joins the Space Cowboys after working as the dietitian for the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2024 and 2025. This will be her fourth season in the Houston Astros system after working as a member of Single-A Fayetteville's staff in 2023. Prior to joining the Astros, Beitler earned her master's degree in nutrition and dietetics from Ball State University and completed sports nutrition internships at the University of Louisville and with the Miami Marlins, assisting with the team's minor league dietitian and nutrition coordinator.

For a second consecutive season, the Space Cowboys will open the season at Constellation Field when they take on the Round Rock Express on Friday, March 27. Full season, half season and 10-game plans are available for the 2026 season.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from January 28, 2026


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