Power Ranking: The Most Ruthless Fan Bases in MLB

Sports turn people into animals. Rational people can turn into irrational fans. Fans tend to put winning above everything else and do their best to distract opposing players with their antics. 

Some MLB fan bases are tame, while others are crazy. 

Which baseball fan bases are the most ruthless?

30. Miami Marlins

If fans do not show up to the games, can they be considered ruthless?

After watching a game last year against the Cincinnati Reds in which there were maybe 400 people in the stands for the first pitch, the Miami Marlins’ fans earned the bottom spot in this category.

The attendance has gone up this year, but only because of their new stadium. The Marlins are playing in front of bigger crowds than in previous seasons, but the fans do not add anything to the stadium. Two World Series titles in the past 15 seasons have somehow not helped gain a great fan base.

Other cities would love to have a franchise that has had the Marlins’ success, while Miami pushes them aside until the postseason comes along every few years.

29. Tampa Bay Rays

Another successful Florida baseball team appears quickly on this list.

Early on for this franchise, I understood why fans did not show up to games. Tropicana Field is one of the worst stadiums in all of baseball. The Devil Rays finished at the bottom of the American League East in nine of the first 10 seasons.  

In 2008, they dropped the “Devil” and made it to the World Series in their first season as the Tampa Bay Rays. Over the next few seasons, they remained competitive and made the playoffs two more times.

The recent success of the Rays has not an impact on the attendance numbers. They still rank near the bottom of the league in attendance. It got bad enough to where players were publicly complaining about the fans.

When a team has to give away 20,000 tickets at the end of a season in which they make the playoffs, I have a hard time taking those fans seriously. I give them credit for coming to the games in the playoffs, but something is missing.  

The talented players on this team should be enough to create a great environment at the stadium.

28. San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres manage to bring in good crowds despite the club’s struggles.

The team’s style of play makes it hard for the fans to get excited. Most of the teams near the top of this list are offensive teams, but PETCO Park makes it difficult to be a good offensive team.

The Padres have focused on pitching in recent years and don't really give the fans much to be excited about. Yonder Alonso leads the team with a .274 batting average, and Chase Headley is the only player on the team with more than five home runs.

With the young players the Padres have, the fan base may grow and be known for their crazy antics.

27. Oakland Athletics

The A’s struggle to bring in fans to their ballpark.

This is a team that struggles to hit and has very few offensive weapons. Role players like Adam Rosales and Jonny Gomes provide hustle to make up for the lack of big names. The A’s traded away a couple talented pitchers, Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill, this past winter.

The A’s no longer have the wild fan base they had in the early 2000s.

Oakland will need to improve the roster before fans start to show up.   

26. Houston Astros

It is tough to have crazy fans in Houston lately.

After trading away players who helped them reach the World Series in 2005, there are not many players who are recognizable.

Losing takes its toll on a team, and the fans in Houston have gone through enough recently.  

Houston used to be a tough place for oppositions to play. When the roof was closed, it was one of the loudest stadiums in the league. Now, teams have no problem going to Houston and winning.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates

In 19 years of losing, the Pirates have lost a portion of their fan base. The city would rather support the successful teams like the Penguins and Steelers.

Fans started showing up to the stadium last season during their hot start. PNC Park had an incredible buzz that it normally does not have. If they can hang around for a while this season, we may see the fans turn up again.

When they show up, it’s a completely different atmosphere. The fans get into the game and become hostile.

The fans may show up this season, but it all depends on how the team fares the rest of the way.  

24. Cleveland Indians

In a city that supports the Browns as well as they do, they have a hard time showing the same support for the Indians.

Unlike the Florida teams on this list, the Indians have a nice ballpark. Progressive Field is a nice environment to watch a game. The team had a great atmosphere while selling out 455 consecutive games from 1995 to 2001. 

The Indians have trouble getting to 20,000 fans for a game these days. Closer Chris Perez had to call out the fans this season before they started showing up for big series'. A team with a winning record should not be begging fans to show up to a game in a stadium like Progressive Field.  

When the fans show up, the Indians have a nice home-field advantage.  

23. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are a different team when they play at home.

Fans may not show up to the games, and it takes away from the exciting home games. For a team that puts on a power display at home, the Blue Jays should draw more fans than they do.

If Toronto treated the Blue Jays the way they treat the Maple Leafs, the Blue Jays would have one of the best fan bases in all of baseball.

22. Seattle Mariners

Ken Griffey Jr. is the reason the Mariners got a new ballpark. By the look of things, he is not coming back to play in Seattle.

The fans in Seattle have a hard time supporting a team that is struggling as mightily as the Mariners are. Fans still have Ichiro and Felix Hernandez to watch but still do not show up.  

The fan base in Seattle already lost the Sonics and struggle to support their baseball team.  

21. Kansas City Royals

The Royals’ fans are getting credit for drawing the All-Star game to Kansas City.

They put up with losing and still have a decent turnout. MLB would not give a city an All-Star game without loyal fans. There are not many cities that would break 20,000 fans every night after losing so much. 

With the young players coming through the system, the fan base may return in the near future.

20. Baltimore Orioles

Even a hot start is not bringing in fans. However, they have a great attitude.

Fans from Boston and New York invade the stadium when their teams come to town, but Baltimore fans love their team just as much.

Baltimore fans will show up if the team continues to win. Camden Yards is a beautiful stadium, which keeps fans coming back to watch baseball. The Orioles are a proud franchise and have a great fan base.

19. Washington Nationals

Despite having losing records recently, Nationals fans normally show up to the ballpark during the early part of the season. This season they even kept Phillies fans from taking over their ballpark.

The young stars on their team are changing the atmosphere at the ballpark. Fans in Washington are becoming wild. Nationals Park is a tough place for opposing teams to come in and win. The fans are excited about the team and have become good baseball fans.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks

As one of the newer franchises, the Diamondbacks have had a strong fan base for the majority of their time in the league. Inconsistent play, however, has kept the fans from maintaining the electric atmosphere.

The fans in Arizona are great. When it gets close to playoff time in Arizona, the fans turn it up a notch and go wild.

Compared to most of the other teams in the National League West, fans of the Diamondbacks are good baseball fans, but tame.

17. Chicago White Sox

The South Side’s fans are passionate but civil compared to those of their cross-city rivals.

White Sox fans will let the opposing teams hear it but do not always show up to the games. For a Chicago team, their attendance is on the low side. 

If Chicago continues their surprising start, look for the fans to show up and rattle the visiting teams all summer long.  

16. Atlanta Braves

The tomahawk chop at a Braves game is one of the best fan traditions in baseball. When the stadium gets behind the team, they seem to get an extra boost.

The reason they are this low on my list is their attendance numbers. They are in the middle of the league in attendance but occasionally failed to sell out playoff games. Their fans are wild when they get going.

Turner Field has always been a tough place for visitors to play at, and the Braves’ fans do not make it any easier. 

15. Minnesota Twins

A team as bad as the Minnesota Twins should not be in the top half of the league in attendance.

Their loyal fans used to rock the Metrodome all the way into the playoffs. The fans in Minnesota get into baseball games. With a new stadium, it is a little tougher for them to harass the right fielder.  

For what a classy organization the Twins are, it is somewhat surprising how tough their fans are on the opposition. 

14. Colorado Rockies

The fans in Colorado jump up a notch from the fans in Minnesota.

They still pack the park on a nightly basis and root for the hometown Rockies. Coors Field never seems to quiet down and makes it tough for hitters to concentrate.

Colorado fans are lively in the stands but have nothing on a few of their National League West rivals.

13. New York Mets

Since the move to Citi Field, Met fans seemed to have toned down their antics.

Shea Stadium was difficult for opposing players to focus. However, the new ballpark seems to have lost some of the mystique.

The fans in Queens will still make life hard on the visiting team but have lost a little bit of their edge over the years.  

12. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds’ fan base knows how to hold a grudge on opposing players and teams.

Cincinnati fans know their baseball and take it up a notch when certain teams come to town. The fans pick up their game when the Cardinals come to town. When Yadier Molina, Chris Carpenter, or even Jon Jay are within shouting range, watch out.

The Phillies’ Chase Utley is also jeered every time he comes into Great American Ball Park. Fans remember the way he pretended to get hit by a pitch and sparked a rally in the 2010 NLCS.

A baseball city like Cincinnati will attract more fans as time goes by, and the fans will let the opposing teams have it.

11. Detroit Tigers

The Motor City may have economic troubles, but Tigers fans come to the ballpark ready to make some noise.

Detroit fans are known for making noise and supporting every team in the city. The Tigers revival in recent years has allowed the fans to come to the ballpark and have a good time.

With the acquisition of Prince Fielder in the offseason, Detroit fans are expecting a division title. If the Tigers continue to struggle, the fans may go from causing headaches for the opposition to giving their own team headaches.

10. Texas Rangers

A summer day in Arlington is an opposing player’s nightmare.

Texas fans have the right to be obnoxious with their team being the American League champions the past two seasons.

As the weather heats up and the team continues to win, the fans will also get wild.  

9. Milwaukee Brewers

Maybe the most underrated fan base in sports is up in Milwaukee.

The Brewers draw great crowds and have a great home-field advantage. When division rivals come into town, the fans seem to be ready to step up to the task. 

The fans seem to feed off of Nyjer Morgan’s attitude, and they provide an uncomfortable setting for visiting teams.

8. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

A decade after winning the World Series, Angels fans are still making noise.

These fans love to chatter with opposing outfielders but remain respectful. They are good at being respectful while getting under people’s skin. To accomplish both says something about a fan base.  

They care about representing their team properly. Angels fans are ruthless but reasonable while they harass players and fans.

7. San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco fans may start the upper class of ruthless fans.

After years of letting opposing pitchers have it when they walked Barry Bonds, they have not lost a step. Now they can taunt the position players after being sat down by their great pitching.

They are an intelligent fan base and do their best to make it tough for opposing players to concentrate. 

6. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are the third California team to make the top 10.

Unlike the Angels, these fans have no boundaries when it comes to taunting. Fans in Los Angeles taunt fans in the stands and do not hold back.

Dodger Stadium is a place where opposing fans will get annoyed. But hey, that’s sports. 

5. Chicago Cubs

Fans in the bleachers at Wrigley Field know how to have a good time.

Whether the alcohol makes them act that way, Chicago fans yell at the visiting outfielders for the entire game. The summer weather and losing seasons make them a headache for opposing teams.

If the outfielders ignore the fans in the bleachers, they just get louder. Cubs fans deserve some credit for showing up and being loud despite the teams lackluster performances through the years.

4. New York Yankees

A couple years ago I would have put Yankees fans higher on this list. However, since they won a World Series title in 2009, they have lost some of their edge. 

Less than 10 years ago, chants of “Who’s your daddy?” echoed through Yankee Stadium. Every time the Red Sox came to town, the stadium was electric. Now, it does not have the same energy until the playoffs start.

They are still tough to handle, but not like they used to be. New York fans expect the best from their team and get on the teams they beat.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

Like Cincinnati fans, St. Louis fans can hold a grudge.

When the Reds come to town, the fans get on Brandon Phillips and Johnny Cueto for their roles in the benches-clearing brawl two seasons ago. St. Louis is a good baseball town, and their fans are unforgiving.

Rivalries with the Cubs, Reds and Brewers have allowed Cardinals fans to become rowdy. They keep it up the entire game, and Busch Stadium becomes a hostile place for rival fans.  

Personally, I want to see how the fans greet Albert Pujols when he returns to St. Louis.

2. Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia possesses some of the most agitating fans in all of sports. Phillies fans are no different.

Fans pack the stadium and never let up. They took over Nationals Park last season and turned it into a home game for the Phillies. They have no boundaries when it comes to taunting players.

After former Phillie Jason Werth broke his wrist this season, he accused Philadelphia fans taunting him immediately afterward. 

When San Francisco comes to town, they harass Tim Lincecum about his citation for possessing marijuana.

Philadelphia fans are very knowledgeable and do their homework. Phillies fans are relentless and make opposing fans think twice about coming to the ballpark.

1. Boston Red Sox

Boston fans take the top spot because of the heartbreak they have been through.

With the failures of the Red Sox and the success of the Yankees, Boston fans became ruthless. Now that the Red Sox have won two World Series in the last eight seasons, some fans get on their own team.

Former closer Jonathan Papelbon praised Philadelphia fans when he signed with them. If a player prefers Philadelphia fans to where he previously played, that is saying something.

Baseball in Boston turns fans crazy. A night at Fenway Park can be enjoyable as a Red Sox fan or miserable as an opposing fan.