2001 Record: 63-98, 4th in AL East 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (AL rank) Defense (AL rank) 687 runs (13th) Home: 301 runs (14th) Road: 386 (5th) 829 runs allowed (10th) Home: 4.27 ERA (5th) Road: 5.09 ERA (11th) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Jeff Conine, .311 Runs: Conine, 75 On-base pct: Conine, .386 Stolen bases: Jerry Hairston, 29 Wins: Jason Johnson, 10 Saves: Buddy Groom, 11 Home runs: Two with 15 RBI: Conine, 97 Slugging pct.: Conine, .443 OPS: Conine, 829 ERA: Johnson, 4.09 Strikeouts: Jose Mercedes, 123

ESPN's Take Q: What do O's fans have to look forward to as the post-Ripken era begins? With Cal Ripken gone, the Orioles need a young foundation to build on for coming years. The pitching staff has some young arms that seem poised to emerge in Sidney Ponson, Jason Johnson and Josh Towers. The bullpen, though, will give manager Mike Hargrove fits. Baltimore needs to secure more young power arms and develop its pitching first. Cal was the team leader, their All-Star, their public relations machine and their identity. The O's need a team leader to emerge. -- Tom Candiotti  ESPN.com's Crystal Ball The Orioles lose 114 games and Peter Angelos decides to move the team to Washington, D.C. Jerry Hairston may never be a .300 hitter, but he's also not likely to repeat his .233 BA. Hairston should be able the .266 clip he hit at in the first half of '01. In turn, that would give him more opportunities to push his SB total into the 35-40 range. Just because Scott Erickson is penciled in as the O's Opening Day starter, it doesn't make him a fantasy ace. Erickson, 34, has posted a 5.68 ERA and 1:1 K-to-BB ratio (147:147) in his last 50 ML starts before his Tommy John surgery. -- Brandon Funston Batting order Jerry Hairston, 2B Chris Singleton, CF David Segui, 1B Jeff Conine, DH Marty Cordova, LF Jay Gibbons, RF Tony Batista, 3B Mike Bordick, SS Brook Fordyce, C Bench Melvin Mora, Fernando Lunar, Brian Roberts, Larry Bigbie, Luis Matos Rotation Jason Johnson, Sidney Ponson, Scott Erickson, Josh Towers, Calvin Maduro Bullpen Willis Roberts, Buddy Goom, B.J. Ryan, Jorge Julio, Kris Foster John Stephens, RHP The Australian will always have to prove his doubters wrong since he only throws 82-86 mph. But he knows how to pitch and fanned 191 in 190 innings and had a 1.84 ERA in Double-A.

Catcher: Brook Fordyce After hitting .300 in 2000, Fordyce stunk it up last year with a .209 mark, including an .088 mark with runners in scoring position. We're not predicting a big comeback. AL Position Ranking: 14th First Base: David Segui Knee problems limited Segui to 82 games. When he played, he produced (879 OPS). He's played on six teams in six years; will a midseason trade make it seven in seven? AL Position Ranking: 11th Second Base: Jerry Hairston He should improve upon a tough first full year (.233, .305 OBP), that included a poor second half. Needs to hit better vs. right-handers (.216). Solid defender and good speed means he could develop into a decent leadoff hitter. AL Position Ranking: 11th Third Base: Tony Batista Some referred to the "blunder" the Blue Jays made when the O's claimed Batista on waivers, but maybe the blunder was Baltimore's; that .280 on-base percentage is unacceptable, even if hits 25 HRs again. AL Position Ranking: 12th Shortstop: Mike Bordick At 36, he still has decent range but must return from last summer's shoulder injury. Hit 20 HRs in 2000, but that most likely was a fluke. Trouble sign for O's: if you see Bordick hitting third. AL Position Ranking: 13th Left Field: Marty Cordova Turned two hot months (.409 in April, .354 in May) into a nice three-year, $9.1 million deal from the O's. Hit just .260 after the All-Star break. That's what he'll hit this year. AL Position Ranking: 13th Center Field: Chris Singleton An excellent defensive center fielder, the pitching staff will love him out there over Chris Richard, who came up as a first baseman, or the aged Brady Anderson, who signed with Cleveland. AL Position Ranking: 9th Right Field: Jay Gibbons Hit .301 and tied for team lead with 15 HRs in just 225 at-bats. Deserves to get 500 ABs, whether it's at right field, first base or DH, and will lead the team in home runs. AL Position Ranking: 11th Designated Hitter: Jeff Conine Conine filled in at first, third, left and right last year and had 97 RBI, the second-best mark of his career. He's not really a cleanup guy, but somebody has to do it. AL Position Ranking: 7th No. 1 Starter: Jason Johnson A nice surprise, but three warning signs: 1) Johnson's 4.09 ERA was a little misleading as he allowed 20 unearned runs, a very high total; 2) Slumped in the second half (2-7, 5.23); 3) Strikeout rate (114 in 196 IP) not impressive. AL Ranking among starters: 35th No. 2 Starter: Sidney Ponson Bothered all year by tendinitis in his forearm, opposing hitters battered Ponson for a .289 average. Prime candidate for a breakthrough year; or is that breakdown year? You make the call. AL Ranking among starters: 34th No. 3 Starter: Scott Erickson Back from Tommy John surgery, does the 34-year-old have anything left? Or did the wear and tear of four straight 220-inning seasons from '96-'99 spell the end? AL Ranking among starters: 49th No. 4 Starter: Josh Towers Righty relies on impeccable control (just 16 BBs in 140 innings), but had just 58 K's. History says he need to improve that K rate to stay in the bigs. AL Ranking among starters: 48th Bullpen: Buddy Groom, B.J. Ryan, Jorge Julio, Kris Foster Some intriguing arms like Ryan, Julio (who has closer potential) and Foster mean this pen could be better than advertised. Groom remains one of most solid lefties around. AL Position Ranking: 13th Closer: Willis Roberts Roberts throws hard but battled control problems throughout a long minor-league career. Had 3.03 ERA as a reliever last year, so gets first shot at ninth-inning duties. AL Position Ranking: 14th

Overall Power Index Rankings (AL rank):
Position: 11.22 (14th) | Pitching: 11.17 (11th)

-- David Schoenfield