Team previews are listed in Gordon Edes' predicted order of finish.
* Player is injured and may not be ready for start of season.
LINEUP
HR
RBI
Avg.
LF
Johnny Damon
16
88
.327
2B
Jose Ortiz
0
1
.182
1B
Jason Giambi
43
137
.333
DH
John Jaha
1
53
.175
3B
Eric Chavez
26
86
.277
SS
Miguel Tejada
30
115
.275
CF
Terrence Long
18
80
.288
RF
Jeremy Giambi
10
50
.254
C
Ramon Hernandez
14
62
.241
ROTATION
W-L
ERA
RH
Tim Hudson
20-6
4.14
LH
Barry Zito
7-4
2.72
LH
Mark Mulder
9-10
5.44
LH
Gil Heredia
15-11
4.12
RH
Cory Lidle
4-6
5.03
CLOSER
Svs.
ERA
RHP
Jason Isringhausen
33
3.78
1. OAKLAND ATHLETICS Manager:Art Howe (sixth season)
2000 finish: 91-70, first place
Schedule | Team directory
Tejada could crash the exclusive shortstop club occupied by Nomar, A-Rod, and Jeter. Tejada, who doesn't turn 25 until May 25, hit 30 home runs and drove in 115 runs last year, and he led AL shortstops with 501 assists. His is just one of many big bats in a stacked lineup that over the winter added Damon in a one-year, rent-a-star deal. The hope is that Giambi, the league's MVP, will stay for the long haul; negotiations were stalled on a multiyear deal. The A's will stumble only if their talented young pitchers all have growing pains at the same time.
LINEUP
HR
RBI
Avg.
RF
Ichiro Suzuki
-
-
rookie
SS
Carlos Guillen
7
42
.257
DH
Edgar Martinez
37
145
.324
1B
John Olerud
14
103
.285
LF
Al Martin
15
36
.285
CF
Mike Cameron
19
78
.267
2B
Bret Boone
19
74
.251
3B
David Bell
11
47
.247
C
Dan Wilson
5
27
.235
ROTATION
W-L
ERA
RH
Freddy Garcia
9-5
3.91
LH
Jamie Moyer
13-10
5.49
RH
Aaron Sele
17-10
4.51
RH
Paul Abbott
9-7
4.22
RH
Brett Tomko
7-5
4.68
CLOSER
Svs.
ERA
RH
Kazuhiro Sasaki
37
3.16
2. SEATTLE MARINERS Manager: Lou Piniella (ninth season)
1999 finish: 91-71, second place (wild card)
Schedule | Team directory
The Mariners made it within one step of the World Series after losing Ken Griffey and Randy Johnson, and now the M's must cope with the loss of Alex Rodriguez, the hardest cut of all. They have the pitching to again contend over the long haul, but GM Pat Gillick spent much of the spring looking for another bat, preferably to play the outfield or third base. Suzuki, the M's latest Japanese import, is an accomplished hitter, as his seven batting titles in Japan attest. The burden of taking over at short for A-Rod falls upon Guillen, who hit .296 in the second half last season.
LINEUP
HR
RBI
Avg.
LF
Rusty Greer
8
65
.297
C
Ivan Rodriguez
27
83
.347
SS
Alex Rodriguez
41
132
.316
1B
Rafael Palmeiro
39
120
.288
DH
Andres Galarraga
28
100
.302
3B
Ken Caminiti
15
45
.303
CF
Gabe Kapler *
14
66
.302
RF
Ricky Ledee *
13
77
.236
2B
Randy Velarde
12
41
.278
ROTATION
W-L
ERA
RH
Rick Helling
16-13
4.48
LH
Kenny Rogers
13-13
4.55
LH
Darren Oliver
2-9
7.42
RH
Ryan Glynn
5-7
5.58
RH
Doug Davis
7-6
5.38
CLOSER
Svs.
ERA
RH
Tim Crabtree
2
5.15
3. TEXAS RANGERS Manager: Johnny Oates (sixth season)
2000 finish: 71-91, fourth place
Schedule | Team directory
The new $252m shortstop is at home on ``60 Minutes'' and The Wall Street Journal as he is on ESPN. Now, all Alex Rodriguez has to do is play up to the 80-page booklet/shopping guide produced by agent Scott Boras. A-Rod is the total package and should steal some attention from Cowboys spring practice in a lineup packed with thunder (Palmeiro, Galarraga, Greer) and bolstered by the return of peerless catcher Ivan Rodriguez. But the Rangers pitching staff gave up almost 1,000 runs last season (974) and return the same starting cast.
LINEUP
HR
RBI
Avg.
LF
Darin Erstad
25
100
.355
1B
Wally Joyner
5
32
.281
3B
Troy Glaus
47
102
.284
RF
Tim Salmon
34
97
.290
LF
Garret Anderson
35
117
.286
DH
Glenallen Hill
27
58
.293
C
Ben Molina
14
71
.281
2B
Adam Kennedy *
9
72
.266
SS
Wilmy Caceres
-
-
rookie
ROTATION
W-L
ERA
RH
Ismael Valdes
2-7
5.64
RH
Ramon Ortiz
8-6
5.09
LH
Jarrod Washburn *
7-2
3.74
RH
Pat Rapp
9-12
5.90
LH
Scott Schoeneweis
7-10
5.45
CLOSER
Svs.
ERA
RH
Troy Percival
32
4.50
4. ANAHEIM ANGELS Manager: Mike Scioscia (second year)
2000 finish: 82-80, third place
Schedule | Team directory
Mo Vaughn could tolerate a little heartache after leaving Boston, but the pain has been nonstop for the first baseman since he left Yawkey Way. After injuring his ankle in his first game wearing a halo, Vaughn now is sidelined for the entire season after biceps tendon surgery. The Angels also will be missing Billerica's Gary DiSarcina, whose comeback from shoulder surgery has been sidetracked by another shoulder injury. Seemingly desperate for pitching, the Angels added only Rapp and Valdes in the offseason, choosing to hope for more from the kids, Washburn, Ortiz, and Schoeneweis. With AL home run champ Glaus and hit machine Erstad, they will still have pop, but Canseco showed little evidence that he can stay out of the trainer's room.
Tejada could crash the exclusive shortstop club occupied by Nomar, A-Rod, and Jeter. Tejada, who doesn't turn 25 until May 25, hit 30 home runs and drove in 115 runs last year, and he led AL shortstops with 501 assists. His is just one of many big bats in a stacked lineup that over the winter added Damon in a one-year, rent-a-star deal. The hope is that Giambi, the league's MVP, will stay for the long haul; negotiations were stalled on a multiyear deal. The A's will stumble only if their talented young pitchers all have growing pains at the same time.
The Mariners made it within one step of the World Series after losing Ken Griffey and Randy Johnson, and now the M's must cope with the loss of Alex Rodriguez, the hardest cut of all. They have the pitching to again contend over the long haul, but GM Pat Gillick spent much of the spring looking for another bat, preferably to play the outfield or third base. Suzuki, the M's latest Japanese import, is an accomplished hitter, as his seven batting titles in Japan attest. The burden of taking over at short for A-Rod falls upon Guillen, who hit .296 in the second half last season.
The new $252m shortstop is at home on ``60 Minutes'' and The Wall Street Journal as he is on ESPN. Now, all Alex Rodriguez has to do is play up to the 80-page booklet/shopping guide produced by agent Scott Boras. A-Rod is the total package and should steal some attention from Cowboys spring practice in a lineup packed with thunder (Palmeiro, Galarraga, Greer) and bolstered by the return of peerless catcher Ivan Rodriguez. But the Rangers pitching staff gave up almost 1,000 runs last season (974) and return the same starting cast.
Mo Vaughn could tolerate a little heartache after leaving Boston, but the pain has been nonstop for the first baseman since he left Yawkey Way. After injuring his ankle in his first game wearing a halo, Vaughn now is sidelined for the entire season after biceps tendon surgery. The Angels also will be missing Billerica's Gary DiSarcina, whose comeback from shoulder surgery has been sidetracked by another shoulder injury. Seemingly desperate for pitching, the Angels added only Rapp and Valdes in the offseason, choosing to hope for more from the kids, Washburn, Ortiz, and Schoeneweis. With AL home run champ Glaus and hit machine Erstad, they will still have pop, but Canseco showed little evidence that he can stay out of the trainer's room.