The Los Angeles Angels promoted left-hander Mitch Farris to the majors, elevating a Rocket City Trash Pandas standout who has dominated at the Double-A level this season. The 24-year-old was acquired from the Atlanta Braves last December in the trade that sent right-hander Davis Daniel to Atlanta, and he now becomes the 45th Trash Panda to reach the big leagues and the ninth to do so this year. He is also the second player in 2025 to be promoted directly from Rocket City without a Triple-A stop.
Farris leads the Southern League with 142 strikeouts across 23 appearances, placing him second among all Double-A pitchers in punchouts. He is just five Ks shy of the Trash Pandas’ single-season record, set by Caden Dana in 2024. The standout performance of his season came on August 26 at Toyota Field, where he fanned 13 Columbus hitters — the third-highest single-game total in franchise history, behind only Reid Detmers (16 in 2021) and Brett Kerry (14 in 2021).
Beyond his strikeouts, Farris has been a steady force in starts (22) and innings pitched (116.0), continuing to pile up impressive numbers in 2025, including a complete-game effort in a doubleheader on August 13 with nine strikeouts and no walks. Earlier in the summer, he broke the 100-strikeout threshold on July 25 at Biloxi, becoming just the seventh Trash Panda to reach that milestone. Other notable performances include a May 30 start with seven innings of one-run ball and nine strikeouts in a 2–1 loss, and a May 17 outing of 6.1 innings with eight strikeouts and one run allowed.
Drafted by Atlanta in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Farris ascended through three levels before being dealt to the Angels last winter. In 2024, he posted a 3.08 ERA with 131 strikeouts over 108 innings, signaling his continued development and readiness for a higher level of competition.
Rocket City’s pipeline to the majors remains active this season, with several alumni making MLB debuts in 2025, including Jeremiah Jackson with the Baltimore Orioles, and others such as Chad Stevens, Robinson Pina, Christian Moore, Alan Rangel, José Fermin, Edgar Quero, and Michael Darrell-Hicks all reaching the big leagues this year. The continued emergence of Trash Pandas products at the sport’s highest level underscores the strength of the Angels’ talent development ecosystem and Rocket City’s role within it.
What this means for the Angels: Farris provides a left-handed option with a high-strikeout profile as they bolster their pitching depth. It will be interesting to see how he fits into the bullpen or potential spot-start roles, as he continues to translate minor-league dominance into major-league production.
Summary: Mitch Farris’s major-league promotion marks another milestone for a Rocket City-led development wave in 2025, highlighted by dominant strikeouts, a franchise-record-approaching pace, and a continued track record of producing MLB-ready pitchers.
Positive note: This promotion reflects thoughtful scouting and development, offering a hopeful glimpse for Angels fans and a strong signal of growth within the Trash Pandas’ organization.