2001 Record: 66-96, 4th in AL Central 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (AL rank) Defense (AL rank) 724 runs (11th) Home: 366 runs (11th) Road: 358 (10th) 876 runs allowed (12th) Home: 4.70 ERA (12th) Road: 5.33 ERA (13th) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Roger Cedeno, .293 Runs: Bobby Higginson, 84 On-base pct: Higginson, .367 Stolen bases: Cedeno, 55 Wins: Steve Sparks, 14 Saves: Matt Anderson, 22 Home runs: Robert Fick, 19 RBI: Tony Clark, 75 Slugging pct.: Clark, .481 OPS: Clark, 856 ERA: Sparks, 3.65 Strikeouts: Jeff Weaver, 152

ESPN's Take Q: What needs to happen for the Tigers to be competitive? It is difficult to determine what the Tigers' strength is. Is it starting pitching, the bullpen, the offense or the defense? The Tigers have a wonderful new ballpark suited for a pitching-oriented team, so need to develop young power arms. Jeff Weaver and closer Matt Anderson are a good start. Knuckleballer Steve Sparks is a great complement to any power pitcher and will rack up much-needed innings. Dmitri Young is a spray hitter who will benefit from spacious Comerica Park. But until they significantly upgrade their rotation, they will continue their pursuit of .500 baseball. -- Tom Candiotti  ESPN.com's Crystal Ball Jose Lima recovers from two-year slump to win 15 games -- in Toledo. Dmitri Young will play 1B, but he should play 3B for your fantasy squad. He is eligible at the hot corner after playing 36 games there in '01. His 20+ HRs and .300+ BA plays a lot better in roto leagues at third than among the big boppers at first. Put Jose Macias in Dmitri Young's class, as he'll bring more fantasy value to 3B, although he'll play CF this year. As a leadoff hitter capable of stealing 30 bases and scoring 80-90 runs, Macias can justify a top 10-12 position among third base-eligible AL players. -- Brandon Funston Batting order Jose Macias, CF Damion Easley, 2B Dmitri Young, 1B Bobby Higginson, LF Dean Palmer, DH Robert Fick, RF Mitch Meluskey, C Craig Paquette, 3B Shane Halter, SS Bench Mike Rivera, Wendell Magee, Randall Simon, Damian Jackson, Jarrod Patterson Rotation Jeff Weaver, Steve Sparks, Jose Lima, Mark Redman, Nate Cornejo Bullpen Matt Anderson, Danny Patterson, Victor Santos, Bill Simas, Matt Perisho, Jose Paniagua Omar Infante, SS Slick fielder who can also hit (.302 BA at Double-A in '01). Will begin season at Triple-A and is projected to reach majors in 2003, if not this year.

Catcher: Mitch Meluskey Melusky hit .300 in his only full major-league season in 2000, but missed all of last year after surgery on his throwing shoulder. Weaker defensively than Brandon Inge, but a far better hitter. Prior attitude problems (fight with a teammate in Houston) means Tigers will have short leash with him. AL Position Ranking: 9th First Base: Dmitri Young The best offseason acquisition for Detroit, Young hit .302 last season and his 21 homers were more than any Tiger hit. He also batted .308 with 15 doubles against American League pitching. AL Position Ranking: 12th Second Base: Damion Easley Offensive numbers have dropped steadily since his 27-HR, 100-RBI season in 1998, all the way to a 11 HRs and 65 RBI last season. Also tied for the fourth-most errors by a regular second baseman (14), but did hit .357 after moving to the No. 7 hole. That ranking could be too high if he continues to slide. AL Position Ranking: 4th Third Base: Craig Paquette Hit a career-high .282 last season, including .312 against lefties. Could be a man without a position if Dean Palmer is healthy enough to play the field, but played at least 20 games at four different positions last season. AL Position Ranking: 10th Shortstop: Shane Halter Shifted between 3B and SS frequently last season. Got hot in the middle of the season, hitting .333 in June and July on his to a surprising .467 slugging percentage, and has had a hot spring. Will be pushed by slick-fielding prospect Omar Infante, who could earn a midseason call-up. AL Position Ranking: 12th Left Field: Bobby Higginson Had a decent 2001 (.277-17 HR-71 RBI), but he had just 17 RBI after August 1 and no homers at all in August. Looking to get back to his 2000 form, when he posted career highs in homers (30), RBI (102) and runs (104). AL Position Ranking: 5th Center Field: Jose Macias Played all over the diamond in his first full major-league season last year, but will open as the starting center fielder and likely leadoff hitter despite just a .316 OBP in 2001. AL Position Ranking: 12th Right Field: Robert Fick Moves to right in order to keep his bat in the lineup. Was second on the team in SLG last year (.476), but hit just .234 with runners in scoring position. AL Position Ranking: 10th Designated Hitter: Dean Palmer Played just 57 games last season, all at DH, with just 11 homers and 40 RBI. His 2000 numbers (29 homers, 102 RBI) showed what he can do when healthy, though, and he hopes to get back to playing third early in the season. AL Position Ranking: 13th No. 1 Starter: Jeff Weaver Won a career-high 13 games last year and signed a fat contract in the offseason. Started 33 games, finished fourth in the AL in complete games (5), tied for fifth in innings pitched (229.1) and is not afraid to pitch inside (AL-leading 15 hit batters). AL Ranking among starters: 16th No. 2 Starter: Steve Sparks Led the team in wins (14) and innings (232) and led the AL with eight complete games. But how consistent can you expect the knuckleballer to be? A big wild card. AL Ranking among starters: 33rd No. 3 Starter: Jose Lima Won 21 games in 1999 but just 13 in the last two seasons, and has allowed 83 homers in those two years. Will drop in the rotation if Brian Moehler ever gets healthy. AL Ranking among starters: 56th No. 4 Starter: Mark Redman Pitched just two games after coming over from the Twins, before arm trouble set in. Went 12-9 with Minnesota in his first full season in the majors in 2000. AL Ranking among starters: 53rd Bullpen: Danny Patterson, Victor Santos, Bill Simas, Matt Perisho Patterson and Santos were the top two ERA guys on the team from their middle relief spots, but the bullpen is up in the air after that. The newly-acquired Simas is having arm trouble this spring and a host of young pitchers are struggling. AL Position Ranking: 14th Closer: Matt Anderson Has 100-mph gas and converted 22 straight saves at one point last season. Without Todd Jones lurking in the bullpen, Anderson knows he is the full-time closer and should get a lot of saves if the rest of the shaky bullpen can hand over leads. Sidelined by tweaky shoulder this spring. AL Position Ranking: 10th

Overall Power Index Rankings (AL rank):
Position: 9.67 (11th) | Pitching: 12.00 (12th)

-- Rico Longoria