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5 keys for the Kansas City Royals this postseason

By Josh Criswell

Sep 24, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals players celebrate after the game against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won the game 10-4 and won the American League central division. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals players celebrate after the game against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won the game 10-4 and won the American League central division. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 24, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals players celebrate after the game against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won the game 10-4 and won the American League central division. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals players celebrate after the game against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won the game 10-4 and won the American League central division. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /

Five keys to success for the Kansas City Royals during the 2015 MLB postseason.

After three decades of futility, the Kansas City Royals are poised to be a contender in the American League for years to come.

The Royals ended a 28-year postseason drought last year, winning the wild card game and sweeping the next two rounds to cruise to the World Series. There, they would lose to the San Francisco Giants in a thrilling seven-game series. The Giants did not return to the postseason this year; Kansas City did.

This time around, the Royals are no longer a wildcard long-shot. They enter the playoffs as the winners of the American League Central, their first division championship since winning the World Series in 1985.

Kansas City jumped to to an early division lead and never looked back, currently leading the second-place Minnesota Twins by nine games. They did so with the help of an elite bullpen, efficient base running and consistency at the plate. They have succeeded in spite of some players not living up to their potential, and others experiencing untimely slumps or running into injury troubles.

The major question that remains is whether or not Kansas City will be able to last in the postseason if these issues keep up.

If they can improve upon their regular-season shortcomings, there might not be a better World Series candidate in the American League. But they could also get bounced in the first round if certain players continue to struggle.

Here are five keys to postseason success for the Kansas City Royals in 2015.

Next: 1. Reliability in the starting rotation

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