The Los Angeles Angels haven’t been very good this season.
Even after winning two out of three against the New York Yankees this week, they are 57-74, fourth in the AL West and with no hopes of making the playoffs this year.
Despite having Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the roster, the Angels don’t have as many sellout crowds as you might think.
“43,555 here tonight in Anaheim. Angels’ 7th sellout of the year,” MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, who covers the Yankees as a beat writer for the league’s official site, tweeted on Wednesday.
43,555 here tonight in Anaheim. Angels' 7th sellout of the year.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) September 1, 2022
You can say with confidence that the Angels needed some help to fill their stadium.
The Yankees Gave The Angels A Little Push
The Yankees, being the most popular franchise in MLB, helped them get over the hump to fill those empty seats.
During the games, you could almost fear the crowd roaring with each play that favored the Yankees.
For a few moments, it looked like they were the home club.
The Angels, as long as they have Trout and Ohtani, should be able to attract fans to the stadium.
However, if the team is not competitive or fighting for anything, why would the seats be full in all home games?
Yes, fans like good, star-level players, but there is nothing more thrilling and exciting for them than being part of a playoff push.
That hasn’t happened in a long time.
The organization has a lot of work to do to put a competitive roster on the field: pitching needs to be addressed, some good players need to get healthy, and the Angels will need to do a better job developing their own contributors.
