Rocket City Trash Pandas

The Rocket City Trash Pandas are a Double-A minor league baseball team in Madison, Alabama, near Huntsville, and an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The team was created when the Mobile BayBears were bought and moved north, and it plays at Toyota Field.[1]

Origins

In November 2017 BallCorps LLC bought the Mobile BayBears to move the team to Madison, Alabama. The Rocket City Trash Pandas name was chosen on September 5, 2018; it references Huntsville’s space industry (the Rocket City) and the local raccoon population. The team reported more than $2 million in merchandise sales in roughly 13 months by December 2019.[1]

First seasons

The 2020 season was canceled on June 30, 2020, because of COVID-19, delaying the debut by a year. After a rained-out opener, the team played its first game on May 5, 2021, at Chattanooga, losing 6-1, and finished its first season 54-56. In 2022 it went 81-57 and reached the playoffs, losing to Tennessee.[1] See also Huntsville.

League and affiliation

The team became a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in 2020. When Major League Baseball reorganized the minors in 2021, the Southern League became the eight-team Double-A South, renamed the Southern League again in 2022. The cited article credits the team with a first-half North Division title in 2022, though it is inconsistent about the playoff round in which Rocket City lost to Tennessee, and its infobox lists no division titles.[1] The team plays home games at Toyota Field in Madison, which has been its ballpark since 2020.[1]

Origins and ballpark

BallCorps LLC bought the Mobile BayBears in November 2017 to move the team to Madison, and the Trash Pandas moved into Toyota Field in Madison in 2020; their first game was played on May 5, 2021. The name nods to Huntsville’s space industry and to local raccoons nicknamed trash pandas; the mascot is Sprocket.[2]

Standing

The team is the Double-A Southern League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. It has won no league championship, but won the 2022 first-half and second-half division titles.[2]

FAQs

Why Trash Pandas? The name refers to raccoons in the local area and to Huntsville’s Rocket City nickname.

When did the team begin play? In 2021, after the 2020 season was canceled.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Rocket City Trash Pandas
2. Wikipedia: Rocket City Trash Pandas

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue