The Rocket City Trash Pandas are adopting a new identity for three games this season. And, given that it’s the Trash Pandas, it may seem a little crazy.

Which is exactly the point.

Merging the Madison minor league baseball team’s flare for the exotic with outreach to the north Alabama Hispanic community, the team announced Sunday it would be known as the Lunaticos de Rocket City for three Sunday games at Toyota Field this season. Lunaticos, as you might expect, translates to “lunatic” in English.

The Trash Pandas, as the Lunaticos, will be taking part in Minor League Baseball’s “Copa de la Diversión” – which translates to “Fun Cup.” Teams throughout the minors are adopting alternative identities as part of an effort to “embrace the culture and values that resonate most within Minor League Baseball teams’ local U.S. Hispanic communities,” according to the announcement from the team.

Minor League Baseball said the initiative has four pillars:

• Increase awareness, authentic engagements and attendance with U.S. Hispanics in their local communities.
• Embrace a culture that is passionate about baseball, family and fun by updating the ballpark experience to match the values these fans cherish most.
• Create and employ culturally relevant on-field personas that authentically connect teams with their local U.S. Hispanic communities.
• Amplify MiLB’s continuous efforts including to diversify the game and business of baseball nationwide.

The Lunaticos de Rocket City will debut May 7 against the Tennessee Smokies. Other games will be June 25 against the Montgomery Biscuits and Aug. 27 against the Birmingham Barons.

In the announcement, the Trash Pandas said they are the only professional sports team in the state of Alabama with an alternate identity playing homage to its local Hispanic community. The Trash Pandas have hosted Hispanic Heritage night at Toyota Field in each of the first two seasons in team history.

Over the Trash Pandas’ first two seasons, 23 percent of players are of Latin descent. Players from 11 different countries have taken the field for Rocket City, including five Latin countries including Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

The Lunaticos also have their own merchandise.

The Trash Pandas open their season April 6 at 6:35 p.m. at home against Chattanooga.