The following is a guest article written by a contributor from Good Deed Seats, which donates a portion of its profits to worldwide charities.
By: Jennifer Anderson – GoodDeedSeats.com
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the redheaded stepchild of professional baseball in Southern California.
They play second fiddle to their National League counterpart, the Los Angeles Dodgers—a classic MLB team that’s been around since 1883 who have won six World Series titles. And when the Angels play the Dodgers, it’s always an exciting game. Not helping the Angel’s cause is their official name too. It’s very long.
Yet, don’t assume that seeing a ballgame at Angel Stadium of Anaheim will be a second-rate affair. In fact, Angel Stadium offers one of the most underrated baseball experiences in the country.
The ballpark, which is the fourth oldest in the Major Leagues (behind Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodger Stadium), is known for its cleanliness, its friendly staff, and the lighting of the halo after every Angels victory.
The stadium is a mere three miles from Disneyland which makes it perfect to catch a night game if you and your family are in town visiting The Mouse.
Attending an Angels home game means you’ll get to see a future hall of famer in action. Center fielder Mike Trout, the “Millville Meteor,” was American League MVP for 2014 and 2016 (he also finished second three times). Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere soon. The center fielder was born in 1991.
There are two main questions that need to be answered when it comes to Angel Stadium: Where to sit to avoid the sun and where are the best seats in the house?
Made in the Shade
Baseball is played in the summer and the Angels don’t play in a dome, so the sun can be a factor. If you have little ones, or you don’t want to work on your tan, sit on the third base side of the stadium.
The Angels use three digits to number most of their sections. The first digit gets higher as you go up in levels and the last two digits get higher as your go from the leftfield foul pole counter-clockwise around the stadium.
Numbers like 102, 205, 411, and 512 are on the third base side. While numbers like 127, 225, 347, 75, 430, and 529 are on the first base side.
That’s just a quick rule of thumb. For the exact location of each section, consult a seating chart.
Best Seats in the House
The best seats in the house are the club sections—Loge, All-Star, and MVP. To put it another way, any seat in the 300 section (301 to 351).
These sections are on the second floor below the suites. In 2016, prices ranged from $20 to $50 to $70 for Loge, All-Star and MVP respectively. Loge are the 300 sections leading up to the foul poles. MVP are the sections behind home plate. All-Star is between loge and MVP.
We’ve selected these as the best seats in the house due to their prices, views, and access to amenities. Since you’re on the second floor, lines at concession stands and restrooms are usually shorter. You also get seat service and the ability to order just about anything in the stadium.
Diamond
The club section was chosen as the best seats in the house because they offer great value. If you must sit closer to your beloved Angels, consider the Diamond sections, the seats behind home plate.
In 2016, Diamond club seats, rows J through W, sold for $145; Diamond Hall of Fame, rows D through H, sold for $165; and Diamond MVP, row C, $195.
If you have tickets for this area, you also get access to the Diamond Club. This restricted-access restaurant is open before every home game in case you’d rather eat a hot meal than fill up on hot dogs and Cracker Jacks.
1st Base and 3rd Base
On either side of the Diamond sections, stretching down to the foul poles are the field sections.
On the 1st base side are sections 123 to 135 and 221 to 233, with the lower numbers being closest to home plate.
On the 3rd base side are sections 101 to 113 and 201 to 213. Here’s it’s the opposite. The higher numbers are closest to home plate.
In 2016, these seats ranged from $150 to $18. Prices decreased the farther you sat from home plate.
If those prices don’t fit your budget, consider analogous seats in the 400 and 500 sections. Here, you can watch an Angels game for not much more than the price of a movie.
You are obviously farther back from the field than you’d be in the 100, 200, and 300 levels, but you’ll still have a great view of the game.
Outfield
There are three main outfield seating areas at Angel Stadium. In the left field, there are sections 257 to 260. For those hoping to catch a home run ball, keep in mind that between these sections and the field are the bullpens. Therefore, you’re sitting a little farther from home plate. In 2016, these seats sold for $17.
Behind section 258, you’ll find the “Family Zone” and the picnic area. This area gets a lot of sun during day games so bring your sunscreen.
Directly behind the right field wall are sections 236 to 240. The first rows of these sections, “Right Field Hall of Fame,” sold for $35 last season. The rest of the seats sold for $15. This area is probably your best bet to catch a home run.
The final outfield area is above the previously mentioned sections. This area encompasses sections 241 to 249 and sold for $9 in 2016.
Autographs
The Angels allow fans to seek autographs in six sections from the time gates open until the conclusion of batting practice, which is usually 45 minutes before the scheduled first pitch.
These sections are 101 to 103, near the left field foul pole, and sections 133 to 135, near the right field foul pole. To get an autograph from your favorite Angel, go to the left field foul pole.
Regardless of where you’re sitting, you’ll be allowed to enter these sections and seek an autograph. Once the autograph session is over (i.e. the end of batting practice), you’ll be asked to return to your seat.
Restricted View
It sounds like a cliché to say there’s not a bad seat in the house, but you really can’t go wrong wherever you sit in Angel Stadium of Anaheim. It’s that good of a baseball venue.
There are, however, sections where you might have a foul pole between you and home plate/infield. Sections 102, 201, 202, 301, 302, 401, 402, 501, 502, and 503 must contend with the left field foul pole while sections 134, 232, 233, 435, 436, 538, 539, and 540 might struggle with the right field foul pole.
Just because you sit in one of these sections doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a foul pole blocking part of your view, but it is a possibility. Even if a foul pole is in your way, it’s not enough of an obstruction to ruin your experience.
Gates
Angel Stadium of Anaheim is served by eight gates. Gate 1 is on the third base side. Gates 2 and 3 are behind home plate. Gate 3 is also called the “Lexus Premium Entrance.”
In between Gates 2 and 3 is the Home Plate Gate. This is the ballpark’s main entrance.
Gate 4 is on the first base side. Gate 6, 7, and 8 are in right field, center field, and left field respectively. There is no Gate 5.
Gates open 90 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. The Home Plate Gate and Gate 3 open two hours before the scheduled first pitch except when it’s planned for 12:35p, 1:05p, and 4:05p.
The Top Step 