2001 Record: 75-87, 3rd in AL West 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (AL rank) Defense (AL rank) 691 runs (12th) Home: 360 runs (12th) Road: 331 (13th) 730 runs allowed (4th) Home: 4.43 ERA (6th) Road: 3.96 ERA (2nd) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Garret Anderson, .289 Runs: Troy Glaus, 100 On-base pct: Glaus, .367 Stolen bases: David Eckstein, 29 Wins: Ramon Ortiz, 13 Saves: Troy Percival, 39 Home runs: Glaus, 41 RBI: Anderson, 123 Slugging pct.: Glaus, .531 OPS: Glaus, 898 ERA: Jarrod Washburn, 3.77 Strikeouts: Ortiz, 135

ESPN's Take Q: Is run production the biggest obstacle standing in the way of the Angels and the playoffs? The Angels have made huge strides toward assembling a championship-caliber team with the additions of Kevin Appier and Aaron Sele. Normally, the Angels can hit and score runs, but this was not the case in 2001. Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon are the keys to what makes the offense click. Both were slowed by injuries last year, which stalled this once-potent offense. If they can stay healthy and rebound to 2000 form, combined with the power of Troy Glaus and Garret Anderson, the Angels will once again be an offensive force. Do the Angels have enough to overtake Oakland or Seattle? Not quite, but they are on the right path. -- Tom Candiotti  ESPN.com's Crystal Ball All five Angels starters again win in double figures, but they combine for only 57 wins. Ramon Ortiz has the best stuff among Angels starters. His mid-90s fastball and quality slider and changeup should enable Ortiz to eventually become a 200-K pitcher, and the future could be now for the 13-game winner who was revealed to be 29 (not 26) this offseason. A contract year and complete recovery from knee surgery that messed with his swing should help Darin Erstad bounce back in a big way from a disappointing '01 campaign. A perfectionist who hit .355 with 25 HR, 100 RBI, 121 runs and 28 SBs in '00, Erstad, as the 131st pick on average in ESPN drafts, is being discounted too much. -- Brandon Funston Batting order David Eckstein, SS Darin Erstad, CF Troy Glaus, 3B Garret Anderson, LF Tim Salmon, RF Brad Fullmer, DH Scott Spiezio, 1B Ben Molina, C Adam Kennedy, 2B Bench Shawn Wooten, Orlando Palmeiro, Jorge Fabregas, Benji Gil, Jeff DaVanon Rotation Kevin Appier, Aaron Sele, Ramon Ortiz, Jarrod Washburn, Scott Schoenweis Bullpen Troy Percival, Al Levine, Dennis Cook, Ben Weber, Lou Pote, Bart Miadich John Lackey, RHP He didn't have much pitching experience when drafted in the second round in '99, but the 6-6 righty reached Triple-A last year. He needs some refinement, but could be a guy called up if one of the starters gets injured.

Catcher: Ben Molina Molina battled a hamstring injury last summer that dug into his playing time and hurt his throwing. He needs to stay healthy and get a little more selective at the plate (16 walks in 96 games). AL Position Ranking: 11th First Base: Scott Spiezio Spiezio was expected to split time with Shawn Wooten, but Wooten will miss four months after separating a joint in his right thumb. Spiezio is a nice utility guy but will provide subpar production for a first baseman. AL Position Ranking: 13th Second Base: Adam Kennedy Kennedy had a solid rookie season in 2000, but dropped off last season, including a poor second half (.229, 2 HR). He's not a great defender, so needs to hit better to keep his job. AL Position Ranking: 13th Third Base: Troy Glaus Ignore that .250 batting average; this guy is a terrific offensive player. He led the AL in HRs in 2000 and was tied for fourth last year. He has patience (107 BBs), so his on-base percentage was much higher than the likes of Garret Anderson (.314), who hit 39 points higher. AL Position Ranking: 1st Shortstop: David Eckstein The Angels claimed him on waivers from the Red Sox and he ended up as the team's regular shortstop. He's really a natural second baseman but is adequate at short. He knows how to get on base (21 HBPs) and should be the regular leadoff hitter. AL Position Ranking: 8th Left Field: Garret Anderson Anderson is durable and has good power (28 HRs), but he's also vastly overrated; his .314 OBP means he eats up tons of outs and his 123 RBI is as much a function of his place in the batting order as his production. AL Position Ranking: 6th Center Field: Darin Erstad Will the real Darin Erstad please stand up? Is it the .355, 240-hit star of 2000 or the .258, 9-homer bust of 2001? Expect something near his career average (.293, 17 HR) with his usual terrific defense in center. AL Position Ranking: 6th Right Field: Tim Salmon Salmon suffered through a miserable season, hitting just .227, including a lowly .171 with runners in scoring position. Neck and shoulder injuries contributed to his problems, but he's also 33 years old. If he can come close to his 2000 numbers (34 HR, .404 OBP), the Angels could have a very good offense. AL Position Ranking: 8th Designated Hitter: Brad Fullmer The Angels easily had the worst DH production in the league last year: a pathetic and inexcusable .204 average with 8 HR and 38 RBI. Fuller, acquired from Toronto, will be a vast improvement over that, although is he the 32-HR slugger of 2000 or the less-exciting 18-HR mediocrity of 2001? AL Position Ranking: 8th No. 1 Starter: Kevin Appier Had a nice season with the Mets, posting a 3.57 ERA (best since '97) and holding opponents to a .237 average (best since '95). He's leaving the NL and pitcher-friendly Shea, so it's not a good bet he'll repeat those numbers. Ranking among AL starters: 19th No. 2 Starter: Aaron Sele Sele had another solid year with Seattle, including winning 12 of his first 13 decisions, but his high free-agent price tag and playoff failures led to the Mariners not re-signing him. He's pitched 200 innings four straight years; expect more of the same. Ranking among AL starters: 18th No. 3 Starter: Ramon Ortiz OK, so he's 29 instead of 26. That probably means he has less chance of a breakthrough season, but his ERA has gone from 6.52 to 5.09 to 4.36. The Angels will be happy if he can knock that below 4.00 and win 15 games instead of 13. Ranking among AL starters: 24th No. 4 Starter: Jarrod Washburn Washburn was healthy last year and proved he could emerge as the staff ace this season. Washburn needs to get stronger (he's never pitched a nine-inning complete game) and prove he's a 230-inning workhorse instead of a 190-inning middle-rotation guy. Ranking among AL starters: 25th Bullpen: Al Levine, Ben Weber, Lou Pote, Dennis Cook, Bart Miadich Once again, the Angels had a vastly underrated relief corps, going 25-25 with a 3.54 ERA that ranked fourth in the AL. Keep an eye on Miadich, who fanned 73 in 59 innings at Triple-A. AL Position Ranking: 5th Closer: Troy Percival Percival reversed a five-year pattern of rising ERAs to have his best season since 1996. He still brings the high-octane heat and converted 39 of 42 saves. He may not do that well again. AL Position Ranking: 3rd

Overall Power Index Rankings (AL rank):
Position: 8.22 (10th) | Pitching: 5.33 (5th)

-- David Schoenfield