MADISON – When the Rocket City Trash Pandas take the field Friday, there will be a couple of former SEC stars with legendary Rocket City nicknames on the roster.
And, they even have their own bobbleheads.
C-Mo and Sonny D (Christian Moore and Sonny DiChiara) are among the 28 players announced by the Los Angeles Angels for the Trash Pandas’ initial roster this season.
There are 22 players who played for the Trash Pandas and 11 players ranked among the Angels’ Top-30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, who are slated to call Toyota Field home.
Moore, the Angels’ first-round pick in 2024 from the University of Tennessee, returns to Rocket City as the top prospect in the organization and the No. 66 overall player in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list.
Selected eighth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Moore starred as a second baseman for the Vols, where he emerged as one of college baseball’s brightest stars. He played in only two games with Single-A Inland Empire in the California League last season before being promoted to Rocket City. Moore hit .347 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in his first 25 minor league games.
DiChiara, the 2022 SEC Player of the Year, returns to Rocket City after spending the 2024 season split among three other Angels affiliates. The Hoover native and former star at Samford and Auburn made his pro debut for the Trash Pandas in 2022, and has appeared in 113 games for Rocket City from 2022 to 2023.
The roster features five of the Angels’ top 10 prospects, including Moore (1), pitcher George Klassen (3), pitcher Sam Aldegheri (5), outfielder Nelson Rada (6), and infielder Denzer Guzman (9).
Klassen and Aldegheri came over from Philadelphia in a trade last July and have added pitching depth to the organization.
Klassen joined the Trash Pandas in August and made seven starts, which included being named Southern League Pitcher of the Week after tossing six no-hit innings at Chattanooga on Sept. 14. Klassen struck out at least seven hitters in 10 starts last season and recorded double-digit strikeouts in two outings at Rocket City.
Aldegheri, a native of Verona, Italy, became the first pitcher born and raised in Italy to play in the majors when he made his MLB debut with the Angels last August against Seattle. He made four starts for the Trash Pandas in 2024.
Rada had a fantastic spring with the Angels, batting .333 over 11 games, a .370 on-base percentage, and six RBI. The Valencia, Venezuela, native spent the 2024 season in Rocket City, hitting .234 with 13 extra-base hits in 123 games. The 19-year-old was seventh in the Southern League with 35 stolen bases as the youngest player in the league.
Guzman was promoted to Rocket City on May 7 and collected six home runs, nine doubles, and 30 RBI in 83 games. The 21-year-old from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, had his season highlighted with a walk-off grand slam on May 25, leading the Trash Pandas to a win over Montgomery.
The other members of the roster in the Angels’ Top-30 include pitcher Samy Natera Jr. (16), pitcher Walbert Urena (17), pitcher Joel Hurtado (19), pitcher Camden Minacci (20), infielder Cole Fontenelle (23), and pitcher Ryan Costeiu (24),
DiChiara and Moore represent two of six players on the initial roster with SEC ties. The others are Ryan Costeiu (Arkansas), Houston Harding (Mississippi State), Luke Murphy (Vanderbilt), and Jared Southard (Texas).
Joining Aldegheri with MLB time is veteran outfielder Travis Blankenhorn, pitcher Kelvin Cáceres, and infielder Evan White.
The 28-year-old Blankenhorn has enjoyed six MLB stints with the Minnesota Twins (2020), New York Mets (2021), and Washington Nationals (2023). He made his major league debut for the Twins on Sept. 15, 2020, at the White Sox and recorded his first career hit in that game, a double. The Pottsville, Pa., native is no stranger to the Southern League, having risen through the Twins system while Pensacola served as their Double-A affiliate. In 2019, he was a midseason and postseason All-Star, leading the Wahoos in home runs (18), hits (108), and RBI (51). Entering the 2025 season, Blankenhorn has 3,445 minor league plate appearances and 100 at the major league level.
The Trash Pandas will be led by fourth-year manager Andy Schatzley. Returning to the coaching staff is Hitting Coach Joel Chimelis, and Pitching Michael Wuertz. New to the staff is Assistant Pitching Coach Bo Martino and Coach Rod Barajas.
The finalized 28-man Rocket City Trash Pandas Opening Day roster will be released Friday.
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