If the Royals could avoid prolonged losing skids, they could have been battling with the White Sox and Twins for a playoff spot at the end of the season. Instead, two dreadful skids -- a 12-game losing streak in May and 14 defeats in 16 games in August -- ruined Kansas City's season.

The Royals finished strong -- 18 victories in September -- but it was way too late and not nearly enough to overcome the two abysmal stretches.

The Royals must decide if September could portend a bright future or was a one-month mirage. At the very least, it gave the club optimism going into 2009, when they will officially re-open a "new" completely remodeled Kauffman Stadium after a $250 million renovation project.

Ryan Shealy was a power-hitting, run-producing machine in September. If he can continue that next year, the first base job is his. But Shealy's problem in recent years has been hamstring injuries, and he left the season finale with tightness in his hamstring.

Zack Greinke and Gil Meche proved to be two durable and capable starters for a sub-.500 club, but nobody stepped forward to be the No. 3 starter. Brian Bannister had that role but went 9-16 with a 5.76 ERA. Kyle Davies, however, looked capable of filling that role when he won his final three starts with a 1.29 ERA.

Rookie of the Year candidate Mike Aviles was the biggest surprise of the season, both offensively, hitting .325, and defensively, but the Royals might opt to sign a veteran free agent shortstop and move Aviles to second.

Or they could keep Aviles at shortstop and play Alberto Callaspo, who had a career-high 18-game hitting streak in September, at second. Callaspo, however, is a risk because of his character flaws. He was arrested during the season for DUI and had problems with the law in Arizona, which is why the Diamondbacks traded him.

Catching is still unsolved. John Buck was the No. 1 catcher most of the season, but Miguel Olivo wrestled that job away late in the year. Olivo and the club hold a mutual option for him to return next year at $2.7 million. Olivo likely will not want to comeback unless he is promised the starting job.

The bullpen should be in good shape, needing only fine tuning in the offseason. Joakim Soria, a Rule 5 pick, has proved to be a superb closer, while Ramon Ramirez and Ron Mahay were topnotch setups this season. Mahay, however, did flounder in the stretch because of a foot injury.

While the Royals had a plethora of 10- to 20-homer hitters, they lack the big bopper. In spacious Kauffman Stadium, the Royals will probably never have a hitter lead the league in home runs. Jose Guillen topped the club with 20 homers and 97 RBI.

The Royals need for young hitters like David DeJesus, Alex Gordon, Mark Teahen and Billy Butler to continue to get better. If they improve, the Royals will likely progress in the standings. DeJesus rebounded from a .260 average last year to hit .307 in 2008.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.