Rocket City Trash Pandas

The Rocket City Trash Pandas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Madison, Alabama, and play their home games at Toyota Field.^[3]

Rocket City Trash Pandas
Founded in 2020 Madison, Alabama
Minor league affiliations
Class	Double-A (2020–present)
League	Southern League (2022–present)
Division	North Division
Previous leagues	Double-A South (2021) Southern League (2020)
Major league affiliations
Team	Los Angeles Angels (2020–present)
Minor league titles
League titles (0)	none
Division titles (0)	none
First-half titles (1)	2022
Second-half titles (1)	2022
Team data
Name	Rocket City Trash Pandas (2020–present)
Colors	Red, blue, gray, white, black
Mascot	Sprocket
Ballpark	Toyota Field (2020–present)
General manager	Garrett Fahrmann^[2]
Manager	Andy Schatzley^[1]

History

In November 2017, BallCorps LLC purchased the Southern League's Mobile BayBears from owners Michael Savit and HWS Group for the purpose of relocating the team to Madison, Alabama, in 2020.^[4][5] Upon relocation, the team was renamed the Rocket City Trash Pandas.^[6] The name is a reference to both the area's association with the space industry, namely from Huntsville, and the determination and ingenuity of raccoons (which are native to the Huntsville area; "trash panda" is a slang nickname for the animal due to their facial resemblance to the panda and their tendency to dig through trash).^[6] In December 2019, Rocket City announced that it had sold more than $2 million in merchandise in just over 13 months since announcing its branding.^[7]

The Trash Pandas were to begin their inaugural season on the road playing against the Birmingham Barons on April 9, 2020, and play their first home game on April 15;^[3] however, the start of the 2020 season was postponed before getting canceled on June 30 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,^[8] pushing back their inaugural season by a year.

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Southern League disbanded and the Trash Pandas were organized into the eight-team Double-A South.^[9] Their scheduled May 4, 2021, road opener was postponed due to inclement weather,^[10] so they played their first game the next night against the Chattanooga Lookouts at AT&T Field in Chattanooga, Tennessee, losing 6–1.^[11]

In 2022, the Double-A South became known as the Southern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.^[12] In June, the Trash Pandas won the first half North Division title to clinch a postseason playoff berth.^[13] Their first postseason appearance, the Trash Pandas fell to the Tennessee Smokies, 2–1, in the first round of the 2022 Southern League playoffs.^[14] Manager Andy Schatzley was chosen for the Southern League Manager of the Year Award,^[15] and Chase Silseth won the Southern League Pitcher of the Year Award.^[16]

Season-by-season results

Season	Record	Win %	League	Division	GB	Manager	Playoffs
2021	54–56	.491	6th	3rd	4	Jay Bell	—
2022	81–57	.587	1st	1st	—	Andy Schatzley	Lost to Tennessee Smokies, 2–1, in semifinals
2023	58–80	.420	7th	3rd	17+1⁄2	Andy Schatzley	—
Totals	193–193	.500	—	—	—	—	—

Roster

Rocket City Trash Pandas roster

• v
• t
• e

Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 55 Ivan Armstrong 29 Kelvin Caceres  8 Coleman Crow   25 Jack Dashwood   47 Dakota Donovan 34 Brandon Dufault 15 Brett Kerry 27 Jack Kochanowicz 12 Zac Kristofak 16 Landon Marceaux 52 Victor Mederos 50 Luke Murphy 35 Robinson Pina 21 Kenyon Yovan 28 Nathan Burns		Catchers 45 Tyler Payne 33 Straton Podaras Infielders 51 Sonny DiChiara  3 Jose Gomez  1 Jeremiah Jackson 24 Kevin Maitán  9 Kyren Paris 19 Liván Soto * Outfielders 11 Ryan Aguilar  6 David Calabrese 22 Tucker Flint 17 Orlando Martinez 13 Bryce Teodosio  2 Aaron Whitefield		Manager 31 Andy Schatzley Coaches 16 Dann Bilardello (coach) 13 Sean Kazmar Jr. (hitting) 43 Michael Wuertz (pitching)   7-day injured list * On Los Angeles Angels 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated June 16, 2023 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB • Southern League → Los Angeles Angels minor league players

References

1. Montgomery, Charles (February 25, 2022). "Trash Pandas announce Andy Schatzley as manager for 2022 season". WAFF (TV). Retrieved March 24, 2022.
2. "Rocket City Trash Pandas Name Garrett Fahrmann VP & General Manager". Rocket City Trash Pandas. Minor League Baseball. August 8, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
3. Gattis, Paul (August 1, 2019). "Trash Pandas release 2020 schedule, opening vs. Braves". AL.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
4. Stephenson, Creg (November 9, 2017). "Mobile BayBears confirm sale, will play 2018 season at Hank Aaron Stadium". AL.com. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
5. "MiLB Approves Mobile BayBears Move to Madison". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
6. Ary, Patrick (September 5, 2018). "Rocket City Trash Pandas chosen as new Madison baseball team's name". WHNT-TV. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
7. "Rocket City Trash Pandas Pass $2M Mark in Licensed Merchandise Sales". Rocket City Trash Pandas. Minor League Baseball. December 23, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
8. "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
9. Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
10. "Trash Pandas Season Opener Rained Out". Rocket City Trash Pandas. Minor League Baseball. May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
11. "Trash Pandas vs. Lookouts Box Score 05/05/21". Minor League Baseball. May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
12. "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
13. Chakamian, Claudia (June 19, 2022). "Rocket City Trash Pandas clinch playoff berth with first half division title". WHNT-TV. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
14. "Trash Pandas Eliminated With 3-1 Loss". MiLB.com. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
15. "Andy Schatzley, Eric Torres Earn Southern League Honors". Rocket City Trash Pandas. Minor League Baseball. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
16. Terranova, Rob (November 8, 2022). "Double-A Award Winners and All-Stars". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved November 8, 2022.

External links

• Official website