A "wave of activity" after agreeing to a deal with free agent DH Edwin Encarnacion has pushed the Indians' full-season equivalents for '17 "past 10,000 for the first time" since the '09 season, according to Kevin Kleps of CRAIN’S CLEVELAND BUSINESS. The Indians added 150 "full-season equivalents and 250 new season-ticket-holder accounts" in the four days after signing Encarnacion last month to a three-year deal. This marks a "critical step in the franchise's lengthy quest to improve upon an attendance figure that annually ranks among the lowest" in MLB. The team's "first wave of Holiday Six Packs -- a promotion in which fans can purchase tickets to six of the most popular weekend series in June, July and August -- sold out the morning after Encarnacion" agreed to sign. The Indians in total have "sold almost 6,000 six packs in fewer than five weeks, which represented a 253% year-over-year jump." The team's group sales also "have jumped 25% year-over-year." Kleps noted from Aug. 1-Sept. 23, the Indians added 700 full-season equivalents. The team also "padded its season-ticket numbers by more than 1,000 in the months since, and the club is ringing" in '17 with a full-season equivalent total that is already about 15% ahead of its 8,700 figure for '16. The Indians "still have a few months to pad their season-ticket and group numbers," with the start of single-game sales beginning in March (CRAINSCLEVELAND.com 1/1).
