Want to jump on a bandwagon? Consider these 6 teams
You is perhaps a kind of baseball followers who’ve a really particular favourite staff — a staff that, due to your upbringing and allegiances, may as properly be a faith in your house. That membership is your membership, three hundred and sixty five days a 12 months, yearly of your life. There is your staff, and there may be opponent. There is nothing mistaken with this. It is the muse of a lot fandom.
But, more and more, there are an increasing number of baseball followers who’ve declared a type of fan free company. They is not going to swear allegiance to at least one staff, without end, irrespective of how good or thrilling they’re. They will simply choose no matter membership seems to be probably the most enjoyable, has probably the most charismatic gamers, feels prefer it’s an up-and-comer you need to get on the bottom ground of. They are … your bandwagon followers.
Being a bandwagon fan as soon as had a detrimental connotation — in any case, if you happen to weren’t there for the unhealthy instances, how may you actually benefit from the good instances? But then once more, what’s mistaken with simply having fun with the great instances?
So, immediately, we posit six Bandwagon Fan groups — six candidates for the unaffiliated fanatic to latch onto. They are enjoyable, positive, however they’re additionally not the plain decisions: There aren’t any Yankees or Dodgers right here. These are groups whose success you may declare as your personal, those almost definitely to be a progress inventory because the 12 months goes alongside … or they’re golf equipment that may not less than maximize your enjoyment as a fan. And the perfect half about being a bandwagon fan? If the staff you select goes bust, you may at all times simply transfer on to a different.
Here are your finest bandwagon candidates for 2023, listed in alphabetical order.
Angels
There are two apparent causes for the Angels to be on this record: Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, two of the perfect, most thrilling skills within the sport … skills who, it ought to be famous, don’t have a single playoff victory amongst them. But the Angels have a sure end-of-the-world drama to them this 12 months as properly.
The Angels desperately — desperately — need to make the playoffs this 12 months. Will it repay? Or will all of it implode? Joining this staff as a bandwagon fan is the final word no-lose proposition: Either you get to cheer for Ohtani all 12 months … or you may simply hop to no matter staff trades for him on the Deadline.
Cubs
First off, it’s enjoyable to be a Cubs fan even when the staff is not good. Wrigleyville, the bleachers, that stadium, the truth that you by no means know when Eddie Vedder or Bill Murray goes to indicate up.
Plus, the Cubs play in a division that’s, truthful to say, not significantly imposing.
Chicago could shock some individuals this 12 months. Bandwagon followers might be there for it … or they’ll simply benefit from the bleachers if it doesn’t repay.
D-backs
One of the perfect elements of being a bandwagon fan is that you would be able to stealthily cheer for a staff that no person’s speaking about but, although they most likely ought to be. The D-backs is perhaps the staff that finest meets that definition this 12 months.
This division is unquestionably robust, however as of proper now, the D-backs is perhaps its third-best staff, which is sufficient to get right into a Wild Card spot. The level is: Very few persons are speaking about Arizona proper now, which implies you’ll look sensible if everybody begins doing so come August.
Orioles
It’s truthful to say that it hasn’t been the perfect offseason for the Orioles, in a wide range of methods each on and off the sector. But that is nonetheless a franchise with a proud fanbase that has waited a very long time to have a staff that’s related once more.
And when you may want the Orioles had performed just a little bit extra this offseason, there’s no query that they’re related once more, with a wise, resourceful entrance workplace that has loaded the cabinet with thrilling younger expertise similar to Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez, Colton Cowser and, wow, significantly, the Orioles have quite a bit of younger expertise. (Fun truth: The O’s have eight gamers on MLB Pipeline’s just lately launched record of Top 100 Prospects, which is probably the most of any membership, and that doesn’t embrace Rutschman.)
If Baltimore makes the playoffs, its fanbase goes to go nuts. Wouldn’t it’s a blast to do the identical proper alongside them?
Mariners
The Mariners could have baseball’s most actually thrilling younger participant in Julio Rodríguez , a expertise so supernatural, with charisma to burn, that you simply really feel like he has rescued this franchise and its followers from 20 years within the wilderness all by himself. Seattle is on the best way up in each attainable method.
You noticed how loud this crowd acquired within the ALDS, proper? Who wouldn’t need to be part of that? The Mariners are as near an “it” franchise as baseball has proper now, which is to say you may be part of many fellow bandwagoners on this journey.
Rangers
You could have seen that half the groups on this record are from the identical division. This is what occurs while you play in the identical division because the defending champs: Bandwagoners at all times need to take out the established favorites.
The Rangers are the type of staff with large names and massive goals that’s enjoyable to get behind: Rarely do individuals consider Jacob deGrom, Corey Seager or Marcus Semien as upstarts, however for a staff wanting to win now and much more wanting to spend cash to take action, these stars get to be a a part of constructing one thing quite than simply being a cog in a well-oiled machine.
Plus, the factor about including expertise to win now’s that it turns into self-sustaining and self-justifying: The Rangers will simply deliver in additional of that expertise now. They’re all in, however bandwagon followers don’t need to be. They can see how this works, and simply hop to another person if it doesn’t pan out.
See? Being a bandwagon fan: It’s all upside!
