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.
2B
Fernando Vina
4
31
.300
SS
Edgar Renteria
16
76
.278
CF
Jim Edmonds
42
108
.295
1B
Mark McGwire
32
73
.305
LF
Ray Lankford
26
65
.253
3B
Placido Polanco
5
39
.316
RF
J.D. Drew
18
57
.295
C
Mike Matheny
6
47
.261
ROTATION
W-L
ERA
RH
Darryl Kile
20-9
3.91
RH
Matt Morris
3-3
3.57
RH
Dustin Hermanson
12-14
4.77
RH
Garrett Stephenson
16-9
4.49
LH
Rick Ankiel
11-7
3.50
CLOSER
Svs.
ERA
RH
Dave Veres
29
2.85
1. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS Manager: Tony La Russa (sixth season)
2000 finish: 95-67, first
Schedule | Team directory
Mark McGwire didn't rupture the patellar tendon in his knee the way John Valentin did last May, but he suffered from similar symptoms and also needed surgery. Like Valentin, the 37-year-old Big Mac can expect to cope with some soreness, though McGwire made it through spring while Valentin did not. A healthy Big Mac will take an already potent Cardinals offense to another level. Vina and Renteria are superb table-setters, and Drew is close to being the player the Cards envisioned. Ankiel is a compelling personal drama with an uncertain outcome, as the 21-year-old lefthander attempts to relocate his radar. Another 21-year-old, 3B Albert Pujols, needs a little more time, but he made it possible for St. Louis to trade Fernando Tatis to Montreal for Hermanson.
LINEUP
HR
RBI
Avg.
SS
Barry Larkin
11
41
.313
RF
Alex Ochoa
13
58
.316
CF
Ken Griffey
40
118
.271
1B
Sean Casey
20
85
.315
LF
Dmitri Young
18
88
.303
3B
Aaron Boone
12
43
.285
2B
Pokey Reese
12
46
.255
C
Jason LaRue
5
12
.235
ROTATION
W-L
ERA
RH
Pete Harnisch
8-6
4.74
RH
Osvaldo Fernandez
4-3
3.62
RH
Scott Williamson
5-8
3.29
RH
Elmer Dessens
11-5
4.28
RH
Rob Bell
7-8
5.00
CLOSER
Svs.
ERA
RH
Danny Graves
30
2.56
2. CINCINNATI REDS Manager: Bob Boone (first season)
2000 finish: 85-77, second
Schedule | Team directory
Only a player like Griffey could hit 40 home runs and knock in 118 runs and be accused of having an off year. Griffey hit just .271, the third straight year in which he hit below .300, and his HR and RBI totals were five-year lows. With the media mob's attention now turned to his former Mariners teammate, Alex Rodriguez, Griffey should find his second go-round through the NL more to his liking. New manager Boone, looking to jump-start the Reds offense, is putting veteran Larkin in the leadoff spot, although if Sanders succeeds in his improbable comeback, he could bat first.
LINEUP
HR
RBI
Avg.
2B
Eric Young
6
47
.297
3B
Bill Mueller
10
55
.268
RF
Sammy Sosa
50
138
.320
C
Todd Hundley
24
70
.284
LF
Rondell White
13
61
.311
1B
Matt Stairs
21
81
.227
CF
Damon Buford
15
48
.251
SS
Ricky Gutierrez
11
56
.276
ROTATION
W-L
ERA
RH
Kerry Wood
8-7
4.80
RH
Jon Lieber
12-11
4.41
RH
Kevin Tapani
8-12
5.01
RH
Julian Tavarez
11-5
4.43
RH
Jason Bere
12-10
5.47
CLOSER
Svs.
ERA
RH
Tom Gordon
DNP -
injured
3. CHICAGO CUBS Manager: Don Baylor (second season)
2000 finish: 65-97, fifth
Schedule | Team directory
Sosa is staying, Wood is nasty, and Gordon is finding life a blessing again, which means that the retooled Cubs could be much better than the club that lost 97 games last season. Gordon hurt a triceps while weightlifting and may not be ready by the opener, but he was throwing 92-94 miles per hour and throwing his 12-to-6 curveball. Wood, two years removed from elbow surgery, was throwing in the high 90s and could be ready to challenge again as the best young pitcher in the game. Top outfield prospect Corey Patterson will start the year in the minors, but White is healthy again. Hundley and Stairs will give the team more lefthanded pop, and Mueller is an upgrade at third, but the defense behind the plate, at first, and at short is a concern. A happy Sosa could mean a 60-homer year again.
LINEUP
HR
RBI
Avg.
2B
Craig Biggio
8
35
.268
SS
Julio Lugo
10
40
.283
1B
Jeff Bagwell
47
132
.310
LF
Lance Berkman
21
67
.297
RF
Moises Alou
30
114
.355
CF
Richard Hidalgo
44
122
.314
3B
Chris Truby
11
59
.260
C
Brad Ausmus
7
51
.266
ROTATION
W-L
ERA
RH
Shane Reynolds *
7-8
5.22
RH
Scott Elarton
17-7
4.81
RH
Jose Lima
7-16
6.65
RH
Octavio Dotel
3-7
5.40
RH
Kent Bottenfield
8-10
5.40
CLOSER
Svs.
ERA
LH
Billy Wagner
6
6.18
4. HOUSTON ASTROS Manager: Larry Dierker (fifth year)
2000 finish: 72-90, third
Schedule | Team directory
It's only a matter of time before the arrival of shortstop Adam Everett, the gifted gloveman the Astros received from Boston in the Carl Everett trade. There's still some question whether this Everett will hit in the big leagues, but of more immediate concern to the Astros is whether their pitching staff will take as many hits as it did a year ago. For Houston to win, Lima has to resemble the pitcher who won 21 games in 1999, as opposed to the shell-shocked version who gave up 48 bombs last year. Ace Reynolds should be back by the end of April after knee surgery, Elarton was a 17-game winner at 24 last season, and closer Wagner looks healthy after elbow surgery. This team isn't going to lose 90 games again, especially if it improves on the 15-31 record in one-run games.
The movie promises that if you build it, they will come. The Pittsburgh Pirates must not have been paying attention, because they're moving into breathtaking PNC Park without their top three pitchers – Francisco Cordova, Jason Schmidt, and Benson – all of whom went down with injuries during camp. Actively shopping for rotation help, the Pirates picked up Olivares from the A's. Kendall and Giles are star Bucs. Rookie Wilson has claimed the shortstop job.
LINEUP
HR
RBI
Avg.
3B
Tony Fernandez
Played
in
Japan
2B
Ron Belliard
8
54
.263
LF
Geoff Jenkins
34
94
.303
1B
Richie Sexson
30
91
.272
RF
Jeromy Burnitz
31
98
.232
CF
Jeffrey Hammonds
20
106
.335
SS
Jose Hernandez
11
59
.244
C
Henry Blanco
7
31
.236
ROTATION
W-L
ERA
RH
Jeff D'Amico *
12-7
2.56
RH
Jamey Wright
7-9
4.10
RH
Jimmy Haynes
12-13
5.33
RH
Paul Rigdon
5-5
5.15
RH
Ben Sheets
2001
rookie
CLOSER
Svs.
ERA
RH
Curtis Leskanic
12
2.56
6. MILWAUKEE BREWERS Manager: Davey Lopes (second season)
2000 finish: 73-89, third
Schedule | Team directory
The Brewers have a new ballpark (Miller Field), a newly minted Olympic hero (Sheets), and a newly formed group of sluggers (Sexson, Jenkins, Burnitz, Hammonds) that should bring back fond memories of Harvey Kuenn's wallbangers of the '80s. Even more encouraging to fans of the Brew Crew is general manager Dean Taylor's success in locking up the heart of his order to long-term deals. Leskanic is a premier closer, but after ace D'Amico, who had tendinitis this spring, the rotation looks thin, though Sheets offers real hope for the future. SS Mark Loretta opens the season on the DL and will be missed, and Hammonds must convince skeptics he's not another Coors Field invention.
Mark McGwire didn't rupture the patellar tendon in his knee the way John Valentin did last May, but he suffered from similar symptoms and also needed surgery. Like Valentin, the 37-year-old Big Mac can expect to cope with some soreness, though McGwire made it through spring while Valentin did not. A healthy Big Mac will take an already potent Cardinals offense to another level. Vina and Renteria are superb table-setters, and Drew is close to being the player the Cards envisioned. Ankiel is a compelling personal drama with an uncertain outcome, as the 21-year-old lefthander attempts to relocate his radar. Another 21-year-old, 3B Albert Pujols, needs a little more time, but he made it possible for St. Louis to trade Fernando Tatis to Montreal for Hermanson.
Only a player like Griffey could hit 40 home runs and knock in 118 runs and be accused of having an off year. Griffey hit just .271, the third straight year in which he hit below .300, and his HR and RBI totals were five-year lows. With the media mob's attention now turned to his former Mariners teammate, Alex Rodriguez, Griffey should find his second go-round through the NL more to his liking. New manager Boone, looking to jump-start the Reds offense, is putting veteran Larkin in the leadoff spot, although if Sanders succeeds in his improbable comeback, he could bat first.
Sosa is staying, Wood is nasty, and Gordon is finding life a blessing again, which means that the retooled Cubs could be much better than the club that lost 97 games last season. Gordon hurt a triceps while weightlifting and may not be ready by the opener, but he was throwing 92-94 miles per hour and throwing his 12-to-6 curveball. Wood, two years removed from elbow surgery, was throwing in the high 90s and could be ready to challenge again as the best young pitcher in the game. Top outfield prospect Corey Patterson will start the year in the minors, but White is healthy again. Hundley and Stairs will give the team more lefthanded pop, and Mueller is an upgrade at third, but the defense behind the plate, at first, and at short is a concern. A happy Sosa could mean a 60-homer year again.
It's only a matter of time before the arrival of shortstop Adam Everett, the gifted gloveman the Astros received from Boston in the Carl Everett trade. There's still some question whether this Everett will hit in the big leagues, but of more immediate concern to the Astros is whether their pitching staff will take as many hits as it did a year ago. For Houston to win, Lima has to resemble the pitcher who won 21 games in 1999, as opposed to the shell-shocked version who gave up 48 bombs last year. Ace Reynolds should be back by the end of April after knee surgery, Elarton was a 17-game winner at 24 last season, and closer Wagner looks healthy after elbow surgery. This team isn't going to lose 90 games again, especially if it improves on the 15-31 record in one-run games.
The movie promises that if you build it, they will come. The Pittsburgh Pirates must not have been paying attention, because they're moving into breathtaking PNC Park without their top three pitchers – Francisco Cordova, Jason Schmidt, and Benson – all of whom went down with injuries during camp. Actively shopping for rotation help, the Pirates picked up Olivares from the A's. Kendall and Giles are star Bucs. Rookie Wilson has claimed the shortstop job.
The Brewers have a new ballpark (Miller Field), a newly minted Olympic hero (Sheets), and a newly formed group of sluggers (Sexson, Jenkins, Burnitz, Hammonds) that should bring back fond memories of Harvey Kuenn's wallbangers of the '80s. Even more encouraging to fans of the Brew Crew is general manager Dean Taylor's success in locking up the heart of his order to long-term deals. Leskanic is a premier closer, but after ace D'Amico, who had tendinitis this spring, the rotation looks thin, though Sheets offers real hope for the future. SS Mark Loretta opens the season on the DL and will be missed, and Hammonds must convince skeptics he's not another Coors Field invention.