2001 Record: 73-89, 5th in NL West 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (NL rank) Defense (NL rank) 923 runs (1st) Home: 554 runs (1st) Road: 369 (11th) 906 runs allowed (16th) Home: 6.12 ERA (16th) Road: 4.42 ERA (5th) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Larry Walker, .350 Runs: Helton, 132 On-base pct: Walker, .449 Stolen bases: Juan Pierre, 46 Wins: Mike Hampton, 14 Saves: Jose Jimenez, 17 Home runs: Todd Helton, 49 RBI: Helton, 146 Slugging pct.: Helton, .685 OPS: Helton, 1.116 ERA: Denny Neagle, 5.38 Strikeouts: Neagle, 139

ESPN's Take Q: Will Denny Neagle and Mike Hampton be this year what the Rockies had hoped for last year? They better be. Denny Neagle and Mike Hampton were 23-21 last year -- compare that combined record to Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling's 43-12. Of course, co-World Series MVP's Johnson and Schilling are in a class by themselves, but Neagle and Hampton must have a better win-loss record and a lower ERA if the Rockies hope to compete. -- Dave Campbell  Jayson Stark's Crystal Ball Todd Helton will hit .400. Take it to Vegas. If you read the New York tabloids last year, you know Todd Zeile had a bad season. But now he's in the rarefied air of Denver, and everyone hits here. Zeile isn't too old to put together a 20-HR, 90-RBI season. Just wait a few weeks when he's third base-eligible. No Colorado pitcher can ever be recommended for fantasy, but closer Jose Jimenez isn't bad. Jimenez led the Rocks with 17 saves and seems to know how to pitch in Coors. He gave up only a hit an inning and a mere six home runs. -- Eric Karabell Batting order Juan Pierre, CF Jose Ortiz, 2B Larry Walker, RF Todd Helton, 1B Todd Zeile, 3B Todd Hollandsworth, LF Bennett/Petrick, C Juan Uribe, SS Bench Greg Norton, Benny Agbayani, Carlos Hernandez, Jack Cust, Terry Shumpert Rotation Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle, Shawn Chacon, John Thomson, Jason Jennings Bullpen Jose Jimenez, Todd Jones, Kane Davis, Justin Speier, Rick White, Dennys Reyes, Brian Fuentes, Chuck Smith Chin-Hui Tsao, RHP Slowly on the comeback trail after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. Has all the makings to be a dominant power pitcher as he throws in the mid-90s along with having a terrific slider.

Catcher: Ben Petrick Petrick is on the hot seat and will need to produce right away or else face the possibility of losing his job. In fact, Gary Bennett will start Opening Day and Petrick may go back to the minors. Petrick hit just .238 last season in 244 at-bats. NL Position Ranking: 11th First Base: Todd Helton A masher who for the fourth straight season had a monster offensive year (.336-49-146). And while he did take advantage of playing half his games in Coors Field (.384 BA with 27 homers), he also produced on the road (22 homers). NL Position Ranking: 1st Second Base: Jose Ortiz Came over in midseason and did relatively well for the Rockies. A full season of hitting in front of Larry Walker and Helton could do wonders for his offensive numbers. NL Position Ranking: 7th Third Base: Todd Zeile GM Dan O'Dowd rolled the dice in acquiring Zeile from the Mets. Zeile is coming off a dreadful season in 2001 (.266-10-62) and could very well be washed up. He's also moving to third base, a position he hasn't played since 1999. NL Position Ranking: 12th Shortstop: Juan Uribe Assumed the shortstop position on a full-time basis after the Rockies dealt Neifi Perez at the trade deadline last season. Amazing stat: Uribe had 11 triples in only 72 games in '01. NL Position Ranking: 9th Left Field: Todd Hollandsworth Is coming off an injury-plagued season in 2001, one in which he played only 33 games. Could split time with Benny Agbayani though he'll get the majority of the at-bats since he'll play against right-handed pitching. NL Position Ranking: 14th Center Field: Juan Pierre Proved to be a valuable leadoff hitter with a very good OBP (.378), stolen bases (46, tied for NL lead) and rarely struck out (29 in 617 at-bats). Hit well away from Coors as well (.321). NL Position Ranking: 7th Right Field: Larry Walker Was much more durable last season, playing in 142 games. Won the NL batting title (.350 BA) for the third time in the last four years. Is certainly helped out by Coors Field, but when healthy has proven to be one of the best hitters in the game. NL Position Ranking: 8th No. 1 Starter: Mike Hampton Signed a $121 million, eight-year deal prior to last season and failed to meet the high expectations of him (14-13 with a 5.41 ERA). Away from Coors Field could have one of the game's better ERAs, but will struggle to keep that mark under 4.50 in the pitcher's worst nightmare. NL Ranking among starters: 15th No. 2 Starter: Denny Neagle His ERA (5.38) as expected was typical with what Coors Field does to a pitcher, but wasn't that bad pitching at home (6-2 record compared to 3-6 on the road). NL Ranking among starters: 38th No. 3 Starter: Shawn Chacon Was better than his record would indicate (6-10, 5.06) and especially good late in the year as he compiled a 2.52 ERA in four starts in September (two home, two away). The Rockies' best young arm, although young Rockies pitchers have a history of breaking down. NL Ranking among starters: 46th No. 4 Starter: John Thomson Spent a good portion of the year on the disabled list after slowly recovering from shoulder surgery in 2000, but did show positive signs over the last two months in going 4-2 with a 3.65 ERA in his final 11 starts. NL Ranking among starters: 64th Bullpen: Todd Jones, Rick White, Dennys Reyes A completely different set of arms are in place this year and Rockies management feels they now have in place one of their best bullpens ever. Jones and White signed as free agents while Reyes and Brian Fuentes came over in trades. None were particularly good last year. NL Position Ranking: 14th Closer: Jose Jimenez Jimenez begins his third year as the Rockies' closer and is coming off a season in which he had only 17 saves. If he falters, Jones, a former closer with Detroit, would most likely be given the chance to take over the job. NL Position Ranking: 15th

Overall Power Index Rankings (NL rank):
Position: 8.63 (10th) | Pitching: 13.30 (15th)

-- Matt Szefc