Dodgers: LA Writer Deems the Angels 'Most Fun Team' in Southern California
For decades, the Dodgers have been the preeminent baseball team in southern California. That hasn't changed, even with the Padres playing competitive baseball over the last two years and the Angels featuring two of the best players in baseball.
For the first time in a long, long time, the Angels look like a legitimate baseball team that could make some noise in October. The Orange County Angels are currently nine games over .500 (21-12) and second in the American League West. Mike Trout boasts an other-worldly 247 wRC+, Taylor Ward has emerged as another potential star, and oh ya, they still have 2021 AL MVP Shohei Ohtani. Not to mention, Angels starter Reid Detmers just threw a no-hitter on Tuesday.
All of this led to The LA Times' Dylan Hernandez to call the Angels the most entertaining team in southern California in a Thursday column.
“The Angels aren’t the area’s best team — that’s the Dodgers. The Angels aren’t the most popular team — that’s the Dodgers. What the Angels are is Southern California’s most fun team to watch, and it’s not just because they aren’t linked to Trevor Bauer. …They are the region’s best-kept secret in plain view. The Dodgers are more balanced, but the Angels are more explosive. The Dodgers wear down their opponents. The Angels blast away theirs.”
Perhaps Hernandez is just bored with how good the Dodgers have been for the last nine years. They only have Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, and Trea Turner. They don't have an incredible two-way player or a three-time MVP, but they mechanically dismantle teams.
The Dodgers lead the league in runs per game, and they haven't even started consistently crushing home runs yet. MLB is better off when the Angels being relevant, but Hernandez appears to wrapped up in the Orange County hoopla.
