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WATCH: Sonny DiChiara blasts two-run homerun for Rocket City Trash Pandas

Wade-Peeryby: Wade Peery08/06/22
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(Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Former Auburn star Sonny DiChiara has made a name for himself as one of the best power hitters in baseball at every level he’s played on. He recently signed onto his new home with the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the AA affiliate for the Los Angeles Angels. The slugger didn’t take long to blast a homerun with his new team, as he belted a two-run shot on Friday night.

Tonight was his fifth game with the Trash Pandas and that was his first home run as a pro. Coming into tonight’s matchup, the former Auburn slugger was batting .308 at the plate and had hit one double in 13 at-bats. He was drafted by the Angels in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

DiChiara firmly cemented himself as one of the best power hitters in all of college baseball the past few years. Last season for Auburn, he swatted 22 home runs and brought in 59 RBIs. The 22 homers were good enough for second most in program history. His on base percentage also ranked second in program history behind Hall-of-Famer Frank Thomas.

DiChiara’s historic season helped propel Auburn all the way to the 2022 College World Series, where they were ousted after an 11-1 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks. He racked up first team All-American accolades from several publications across the country, including ABCA, Baseball America, D1 Baseball, and Perfect Game. The gifted slugger also became just the third SEC Player of the Year in Auburn program history.

DiChiara tips the scales at an imposing size, checking in at 6-foot-1, 263 pounds. Before hitting the transfer portal and joining Auburn, he suited up for the Samford Bulldogs for three seasons, and he swatted 18 home runs there during his junior season in 2021.

During his freshman year at Samford, DiChiara earned first team All-SoCon honors and he was also named the SoCon Freshman of the Year following the 2019 season. The big fella blasted 21 home runs, the most by a freshman in school history. He also had 58 hits, scored 40 runs, and brought in 55 RBIs that year, too. A native of Hoover, Alabama, DiChiara starred at Hoover High School. There, he was named Over the Mountain Journal’s 2018 Co-Baseball Player of the Year. The gifted slugger was also named the No. 2 first baseman in the state and the No. 14 overall first baseman in America, according to Perfect Game.