2001 Record: 73-89, 4th in AL West 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (AL rank) Defense (AL rank) 890 runs (3rd) Home: 449 runs (1st) Road: 441 (4th) 968 runs allowed (14th) Home: 5.46 ERA (14th) Road: 6.00 ERA (14th) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Frank Catalanotto, .330 Runs: Alex Rodriguez, 133 On-base pct: Alex Rodriguez, .399 Stolen bases: Gabe Kapler, 23 Wins: Rick Helling, 12 Saves: Jeff Zimmerman, 28 Home runs: Alex Rodriguez, 52 RBI: Alex Rodriguez, 135 Slugging pct.: Alex Rodriguez, .622 OPS: Alex Rodriguez, 1.021 ERA: Doug Davis, 4.45 Strikeouts: Helling, 154

ESPN's Take Q: Did the Rangers address their pitching deficiencies enough to win the AL West? Just like in Cleveland, new GM John Hart has the big bats in Texas. But pitching is what wins in the postseason, and Hart's offseason changes are not quite enough to overcome Seattle and Oakland. The Rangers' pitching staff is better, but it still needs more improvement. Chan Ho Park comes to Texas with a big contract and high expectations to be the staff ace and leader. It won't happen. Park will struggle away from the pitching-friendly atmosphere of Dodger Stadium. Rudy Seanez was a nice addition to the Ranger pen and will get plenty of work. Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez and company will be fun to watch and Hart's club will have to pound the ball to win. -- Tom Candiotti  ESPN.com's Crystal Ball A-Rod hits .346 with 62 home runs and 149 RBI, but finishes 8th in the MVP vote. With the ability to play four positions in ESPN leagues (1b, 2b, 3b, OF), Frank Catalanotto is the ultimate utility man. He had the highest OBP at the leadoff spot in '01 (.398) and he shows enough speed (15 SBs) and pop (11 HR) to be serviceable in roto leagues. Chan Ho Park's inability to pitch on the road raises a warning flag in fantasy circles. Park posted a dominating 3.19 ERA over the past three seasons at pitching-friendly Dodger Stadium, but dropped to a 4.72 ERA outside Chavez Ravine. There were a few in the L.A. organization that questioned his mental capacity to handle the role of staff ace, which casts an even bigger shadow on his fantasy prospects. -- Brandon Funston Batting order Frank Catalanotto, LF/DH Pudge Rodriguez, C Alex Rodriguez, SS Rafael Palmeiro, 1B Juan Gonzalez, RF Carl Everett, CF Rusty Greer, DH/LF Hank Blalock, 3B Michael Young, 2B Bench Gabe Kapler, Bill Haselman, Herbert Perry, Mike Lamb Rotation Chan Ho Park, Kenny Rogers, Ismael Valdes, Doug Davis, Mario Ramos/Dave Burba Bullpen Jeff Zimmerman, John Rocker, Todd Van Poppel, Jay Powell, Juan Moreno, Hideki Irabu, Rich Rodriguez, Francisco Cordero Mark Teixeira, 3B Teixeira, last year's first-round pick from Georgia Tech, is a switch-hitting masher scheduled to start in Double-A, but could see Texas in September.

Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez Pudge enters his free-agent season determined to stay healthy. He appears recovered from last year's knee surgery that limited him to 111 games but he's now 30 years old and has already caught over 1,300 games. Will the Rangers look to deal him if they're out if it at midseason? AL Position Ranking: 1st First Base: Rafael Palmeiro He just keeps on ticking and ticking and ticking ... He's hit at least 38 HRs the past seven years and averaged 124 RBI over that span. Hall of Famer? He's up to 447 HRs and 1470 RBI. AL Position Ranking: 4th Second Base: Michael Young Frank Catalanotto is the better hitter, but Young is the better fielder and expected to get most of the action at second. He has some pop for a second baseman (first Rangers second baseman in double-figure HRs since Julio Franco in '91) but needs to improve his strike-zone judgment (91 K's, 26 BB). AL Position Ranking: 10th Third Base: Hank Blalock The consensus best hitting prospect in the minors, Blalock may have won a spot thanks to his hot bat and Mike Lamb's shaky spring on defense. Blalock hit .380 in Class A and .327 in Double-A and followed that up with a monster Arizona Fall League. He has some power (could hit 20 HRs as a rookie), draws walks, doesn't strike out and is athletic enough to move to the outfield when Mark Teixeira arrives to play third. And he's just 21. AL Position Ranking: 8th Shortstop: Alex Rodriguez He didn't win the MVP since the Rangers were so terrible, but that doesn't mean he wasn't the best player in the league. His 2001 season (.399 OBP, .622 slugging) not quite as good as 2000 (.420 OBP, .606 slugging) after considering change in ballparks. AL Position Ranking: 1st Left Field: Frank Catalanotto For years, statheads have been saying, 'Just let him play.' The Rangers did and he hit .330. He won't do that again, but he's invaluable as a superutility guy who will hit leadoff and play left, second or DH. AL Position Ranking: 4th Center Field: Carl Everett John Hart's big risk could pay big dividends if Everett stays healthy -- mentally and physically. However, he is a bad defensive center fielder, came to camp overweight and if he stumbles out of the gate, the Rangers shouldn't hesitate to play Gabe Kapler. AL Position Ranking: 8th Right Field: Juan Gonzalez Juan Gone returns to Texas, where he won AL MVP Awards in 1996 and 1998. His back will always be a concern, but he remains one of the most feared RBI men in the business: 128 per year the past six years. AL Position Ranking: 3rd Designated Hitter: Rusty Greer Greer is another case study of the risks involved in signing a player on the wrong side of 30 to a long-term contract. He's signed through 2005, has played just 167 games the past two years (elbow surgery last year) and hasn't slugged .500 since 1997. But at least he's scrappy. AL Position Ranking: 9th No. 1 Starter: Chan Ho Park ERA will drop moving from pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium, but Rangers won't care if he makes 33 starts and pitches 225 innings. Control issues (90+ walks last four years) prevent him being a true ace. Ranking among AL starters: 12th No. 2 Starter: Kenny Rogers Season ended in July after shoulder surgery to correct a circulation problem. Has also had back and elbow problems in recent seasons. His ERA was 6.19. In other words, not a good bet to last the season. Ranking among AL starters: 46th No. 3 Starter: Ismael Valdes His makeup and durability have always been questioned, and there are worse pitchers to take a chance on, but Valdes is now five years removed from his last really good season (2.65 ERA with the Dodgers in 1997). Ranking among AL starters: 40th No. 4 Starter: Doug Davis Davis quietly had a decent season last year, posting a 4.45 ERA, including a 3.99 mark in the second half. He keeps the ball down (14 HR in 186 IP), which he has to do since he's not overpowering. Ranking among AL starters: 44th Bullpen: John Rocker, Todd Van Poppel, Jay Powell, Juan Moreno From the "more is better" category, the Rangers have a cast of thousands to choose from. But they will be counting most heavily on Rocker, Van Poppel and Powell, who they will be paying millions to. AL Position Ranking: 10th Closer: Jeff Zimmerman After Tim Crabtree predictably flamed out as closer, Zimmerman stepped in and saved 28 of 31. He's had three major-league seasons and has been terrific in two of them. Rocker could claim the closer position, but based on last year, Zimmerman is the better pitcher. AL Position Ranking: 6th

Overall Power Index Rankings (AL rank):
Position: 5.33 (3rd, tie) | Pitching: 10.00 (10th)

-- David Schoenfield