Royals v. Angels – Two Franchises On Opposite Paths

The Royals head to Anaheim for a three-game set against the Angels this week

The Royals are coming off a 4-2 home stand against two likely contenders in the Tigers and Orioles, sitting at 12-6 after 18 games.

For what it’s worth, the 2015 Royals were also 12-6 after 18 games.

The Royals and Angels certainly classify as tales of two completely opposite franchise trajectories.

Rewind back to 2014, the Angels entered the postseason as the best team in the American League with 98 wins.

Their lineup included MVP’s in Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Josh Hamilton, while their rotation featured a peaking combination of Garrett Richards and Matt Shoemaker, along side a not so terrible Jared Weaver.

The Royals, on the other hand, entered the postseason as the fourth seed, with 89 wins, having to win a win-or-go-home wild card game just to advance in the postseason.

The Royals would go on to win that wild card game, obviously, and sweep the Angels in a series that signaled the end of a contender.

Since then, the Angels have riddled in mediocrity, with a roster that lacks talent to surround a prime Trout and an aging Pujols.

The Royals, on the other hand, ran that wild card momentum right into a World Series appearance and followed that run up by becoming the class of the American League, winning 95 games in 2015.

Needless to say, the Royals head to Anaheim in a much different position than they did a year and a half ago.

Next: Game One - Ian Kennedy Looks To Stay Hot