Rocket City Trash Pandas | |
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Minor league affiliations | |
Class | Double-A (2020–present) |
League | Southern League (2020–present) |
Division | North Division |
Major league affiliations | |
Team | Los Angeles Angels (2020–present) |
Minor league titles | |
League titles (0) | none |
Division titles (0) | none |
First-half titles (1) |
|
Second-half titles (1) |
|
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 [1] |
Manager | Andy Schatzley [2] |
Website | milb.com/rocket-city |
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]
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 | 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 | — |
2024 | 61–75 | .449 | 7th | 3rd | 25+1⁄2 | Andy Schatzley | — |
Totals | 254–268 | .487 | — | — | — | — | — |
Players | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
60-day injured list
7-day injured list |
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