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The Los Angeles Angels spoiled Shohei Ohtani’s homecoming by sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Freeway Series. The Angels have now won seven straight games against their crosstown rival for the first time in franchise history. While the Angels secured LA bragging rights, they’re still on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.
The Dodgers, led by Ohtani, are once again right in the thick of the postseason hunt. With the two-way superstar making his return to Angel Stadium, Chris Rose asked how fans should feel about Ohtani. The three-time MVP signed a massive 10-year, $700 million contract to defect to the Dodgers after the 2023 season. So should Angels fans feel animosity?
“No, I don’t think so at all. And if they do that’s crazy,” Trevor Plouffe responded via Chris Rose Sports.
“I think they should love him. He chose the Angels. That should mean something. And he put together some really, really nice seasons out there. At the end of the day, the Angels didn't offer him what the Dodgers could offer him. I don’t think that has anything to do with Shohei Ohtani. I don’t think Shohei did anything wrong to Angels fans,” Plouffe added.
What’s Shohei Ohtani’s legacy with the Angels?
Ohtani spent the first six seasons of his career with the Angels. During that time he racked up Rookie of the Year honors and two AL MVP Awards. But the team couldn’t reach the playoffs despite his considerable contributions. In fact, Los Angeles didn’t have a winning season during Ohtani’s entire tenure with the franchise.
After leaving for the Dodgers last year, Shohei was awarded a third MVP. But he also played on a winning team. He reached the playoffs for the first time. And he helped the Dodgers win the World Series.
So, would he have stayed with the Angels if they were a more competitive organization? “I think he would have. If they were winning… I think there’s a chance he stays. He wanted to be in the LA market and the Angels are LA enough,” Plouffe said.
Winning, however, is one thing the Angels definitely couldn’t guarantee Ohtani. The team hasn’t been able to do much in the way of winning even when Shohei was teammates with a prime Mike Trout.
Los Angeles has one playoff appearance in the last 15 years and zero postseason wins since 2009. The Angels are on pace for their 10th straight losing season. Fans have only been able to celebrate individual accomplishments over the last decade and a half. Angels players have taken home plenty of hardware in that span including five MVP Awards (three for Trout, two for Ohtani) and two Rookie of the Year Awards (Trout in 2012 and Ohtani in 2018).
