2 teams LA Angels fans can root for in the postseason, 2 they should not

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For the ninth straight season, Los Angeles Angels fans have the misfortune of watching the postseason with their team out of it. The Angels had some hope this season, remaining competitive for the first half and loading up at the deadline but injuries and an August collapse ended those dreams rather quickly.

Angels fans now are watching the MLB Playoffs with no clear rooting interest in mind. While that makes sense considering the Halos aren't playing, there're still some teams that fans should enjoy watching and rooting for, along with others they should very clearly be rooting against.

LA Angels fans should be rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies

If there's a fan base Angels fans should be jealous of, it's the one that resides in Philadelphia. For the second straight year, Phillies fans have shown up to October in full force and have taken the league by storm.

The Phillies swept the Marlins in the Wild Card round in dominant fashion and now match up with the Braves who are favored to win the whole thing. Rooting for the Phillies means not only that you're rooting for the underdog (at least in this series) but that you're rooting for some old fan favorites.

Brandon Marsh was traded in the deal that landed the Angels Logan O'Hoppe last season. The Angels got great production out of O'Hoppe when he was healthy in 2023, and Phillies fans have watched Brandon Marsh develop into a really solid player.

The outfielder made some changes in his approach and swing with hitting coach Kevin Long and took off this past season, posting an .829 OPS. It'd be more fun to watch Marsh do this in an Angels uniform, but he was traded for the Angels catcher of the future and is still fun to watch with his luscious locks.

Michael Lorenzen is another former Angel on the Phillies, although he wasn't part of their Wild Card roster. The right-hander could squeeze into the NLDS roster with the series being longer, and if so, he's another former Angel who is pretty easy to root for. He wanted to be here and was solid when healthy.

LA Angels fans should be rooting against the Houston Astros

I mean, does this really need an explanation? Forget the cheating for a second. The Astros have proven they can win without it, and it's been a long time now. As frustrating as it is, it's time to move on.

Even without the cheating, the Astros are a team Angels fans (and really every other fan base) should be rooting against. The team has been nothing short of dominant for seven years now.

The Astros have made it to the ALCS at the bare minimum each time in the last six seasons. They've won five division titles in that span and four pennants. Last season they took home their second World Series trophy in the last six years.

This season felt like the season Houston was finally slowing down. Even after they re-acquired Justin Verlander at the deadline the Stros never quite took off. Despite that, they somehow found a way to back into another division title and first round bye. They have a matchup against the Twins in the ALDS. Hopefully after finding a way to finally win a round, the Twins can push further into the postseason and stun Houston.

LA Angels fans should be rooting for the Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles don't have the same Angels connections that the Phillies do. They have Jacob Webb who pitched for the team this season before being DFA'd and latching on with Baltimore. They also have Kyle Bradish who went from an unnotable Angels prospect to the ace of this young Orioles staff. That's it.

The reason you should be rooting for Baltimore is because it can give Angels fans hope that the future is bright. The Orioles are not a team led by a monstrous payroll or proven superstars. They're led by prospects who have developed into awesome players.

Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Grayson Rodriguez, Anthony Santander, Austin Hays, I can go on but won't. These are all homegrown players under 30 who led Baltimore to a 101-win season in 2023. They were led by development and patience, something the Angels need to take note of.

The Angels hope that their current young core of Zach Neto, Logan O'Hoppe, Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, and Nolan Schanuel to name some will develop into this Orioles bunch eventually. Is that realistic? That's to be determined at a future date. The Angels' best path to contention is if their young guys develop into legitimate MLB forces.

LA Angels fans should be rooting against the Texas Rangers

Rooting against the Rangers doesn't go much further than the fact that Texas is another division rival that has found success in 2023. The Rangers built their team opposite to the way Baltimore did. Their great players are mostly on large contracts signed in free agency. They have arguably the best middle infield in baseball, both players in Marcus Semien and Corey Seager were inked on massive free agent contracts.

If the Rangers find a way to win in 2023, this could convince Arte Moreno that building in free agency is the best way to go about things. He already believes this at least somewhat with him putting nothing in player development, but seeing a team like Texas win will only make him double down.

The last thing the 73-win Angels team needs to do right now is throw buckets of money at 30+ year old free agents for long deals. That will likely only set the team back even further than they already are. Free agency moves should mostly be finishing touches, not how you build the team.

Another reason to root against Texas is they're matched up with Baltimore! It'd be way more fun objectively to watch a fun young group beat the team with a massive payroll in the games that matter. Only root for Texas if they play Houston. That'd be my suggestion.

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