MADISON, Ala. — Another Rocket City Trash Panda is heading to the Los Angeles Angels. Kolton Ingram, the longest-tenured pitcher in Rocket City Trash Pandas history, is moving up.
Ingram will become the 21st former Rocket City Trash Pandas player to make his MLB debut (20th for the Angels) and the fifth to do so during the 2023 season after José Soriano, Ben Joyce, Sam Bachman and Zach Neto.
Ingram leaves Rocket City as the top reliever in franchise history. He was promoted to the Trash Pandas from High-A Tri-City on July 22, 2021 and has remained on the Trash Pandas active roster since then. Over 85 career regular season games for Rocket City from 2021-23, Ingram went 7-3 with a 2.46 ERA, allowing 28 earned runs in 102.1 innings pitched with 16 saves, 21 holds, and 128 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .183 batting average. He also pitched in all three playoff games for Rocket City in 2022.
Ingram’s 85 games pitched for Rocket City are the most in franchise history, a record unlikely to be approached soon. He leads the Trash Pandas in holds and is second all-time in saves while also ranking in the top five in Rocket City history in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.
In 2022, Ingram tied for the most appearances in all of Double-A, pitching in 50 games out of the Trash Pandas bullpen, going 6-2 with a 2.67 ERA and 10 saves. That followed a stellar Double-A debut with the inaugural Trash Pandas squad in 2021 where he posted four saves and a 1.26 ERA in 12 appearances.
This season, Ingram pitched in 23 games for Rocket City, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.63 ERA and two saves. His 23 appearances are third in the Southern League and 38 strikeouts are tied for fifth among Southern League relievers. He did not allow a run over his final eight outings with the Trash Pandas, throwing 9.1 scoreless frames with 16 strikeouts.
Ingram, 26, was originally selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th round of the 2019 draft out of Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. He was released by the Tigers during the 2020 season.
The Los Angeles Angels signed Ingram ahead of the 2021 season and he spent the first half of that season between Low-A Inland Empire and High-A Tri-City before joining the Trash Pandas in July. He was added to the Angels’ 40-man roster before the 2023 season.