2001 Record: 86-76, 3rd in NL West 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (NL rank) Defense (NL rank) 758 runs (8th) Home: 330 runs (14th) Road: 428 (3rd) 744 runs allowed (tied for 8th) Home: 3.78 ERA (6th) Road: 4.75 ERA (12th) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Paul Lo Duca, .320 Runs: Green, 121 On-base pct: Gary Sheffield, .417 Stolen bases: Tom Goodwin, 22 Wins: Chan Ho Park, 15 Saves: Jeff Shaw, 43 Home runs: Shawn Green, 49 RBI: Green, 125 Slugging pct.: Green, .598 OPS: Sheffield, 1.000 ERA: Park, 3.50 Strikeouts: Park, 218

ESPN's Take Q: Will a healthy Andy Ashby and Kevin Brown make the Dodgers the team to beat? It is of maximum importance that Andy Ashby and Kevin Brown be healthy this year, because the Dodgers don't have a chance if they're not. If the Dodgers are going to make any noise in the West, Ashby and Brown both have to have monster years. Assuming Ashby and Brown can stay healthy, and then assuming they both have great years, I still don't think to Dodgers are the National League team to beat. -- Dave Campbell  Jayson Stark's Crystal Ball The happiest Dodgers comeback story? No, not Kevin Brown, Andy Ashby or Darren Dreifort. Try Adrian Beltre. Yes, this is the year Adrian Beltre turns into the next great NL third baseman. Long predicted as a 30-30 threat, Beltre never got going in 2001, but now he's free of foreign surgeries so look for 20 homers and 20 steals.. His ERA might not be the best, but Hideo Nomo does two things pretty well: He manages to win games and he strikes a lot of people out. Nomo led the AL in K's a year ago and should have another 200 in him this season, with 13-15 wins. -- Eric Karabell Batting order Tom Goodwin / McKay Christenson, CF Mark Grudzielanek, 2B Shawn Green, RF Brian Jordan, LF Paul Lo Duca, C Eric Karros, 1B Adrian Beltre, 3B Cesar Izturis, SS Bench Marquis Grissom, Dante Bichette, Dave Hansen, Chad Kreuter, Alex Cora Rotation Kevin Brown, Hideo Nomo, Kazuhisa Ishii, Andy Ashby, Odalis Perez Bullpen Eric Gagne, Paul Quantrill, Giovanni Carrara, Terry Mulholland, Mike Trombley, Jesse Orosco, Guillermo Mota Chin-Feng Chen, OF Returned last year after shoulder surgery and impressed with increased power. Could be in line to reach majors by 2003.

Catcher: Paul Lo Duca Emerged as the full-time starter in mid-May and put up big numbers hitting out of both the first and fifth spots in the batting order. Had fewer strikeouts (30) than walks (39) last season. NL Position Ranking: 2nd First Base: Eric Karros Clearly on the downside of his career (.235-15-63). His .303 OBP was also his lowest since his second full year in the majors (1993, .287). NL Position Ranking: 14th Second Base: Mark Grudzielanek Another Dodger with an extremely low OBP (.317), but did hit a career-high 13 homers in '01. Rates in the lower tier among NL second basemen. NL Position Ranking: 16th Third Base: Adrian Beltre Never got going for the most part because of a botched appendectomy in the offseason, which had to be corrected during spring training. Ceiling remains high for this soon-to-be-23-year-old. NL Position Ranking: 5th Shortstop: Cesar Izturis Acquired in the offseason from the Blue Jays, takes over for Alex Cora. Willlikely struggle at the plate, but did show some promise by hitting .302 in September and October after being called up from the minors by Toronto. Will handle the position defensively. NL Position Ranking: 15th Left Field: Brian Jordan Takes over the cleanup spot from Gary Sheffield and while a productive player, is far from the offensive machine that Sheffield is. Will need to do well early or the Dodgers' lineup could be in for big problems. NL Position Ranking: 10th Center Field: Tom Goodwin / McKay Christenson The Dodgers have been unable to move Goodwin for some time now due to his high salary (signed for more than $3 million per year through 2003). Don't be surprised to see Christenson get most of the playing time. NL Position Ranking: 14th Right Field: Shawn Green Reached career highs in homers (49), RBI (125) and slugging percentage (.598) while also stealing 20 bases. Terrific all-around player who, with Sheffield gone, is the player the Dodgers will build their team around. NL Position Ranking: 5th No. 1 Starter: Kevin Brown If healthy, rates among the best pitchers in baseball. How he goes will likely determine if the Dodgers have playoff hopes. Has had a 3.00 or less ERA in each of the last six years. NL Ranking among starters: 4th No. 2 Starter: Hideo Nomo Led the AL with 220 strikeouts last year while pitching for the Red Sox. Also, held opponents to an impressive .231 batting average against. Should benefit by returning to the pitcher-friendly environment of Dodger Stadium. NL Ranking among starters: 25th No. 3 Starter: Kazuhisa Ishii The great unknown in terms of how good he'll be. If he has close to the same impact fellow Japanese player Ichiro had last year, could catapult the Dodgers to among the elite teams in the NL. NL Ranking among starters: 29th No. 4 Starter: Andy Ashby Missed nearly all of last season after tearing a muscle in his right elbow. If healthy, could be the best fourth starter in all of baseball. We have our doubts. NL Ranking among starters: 56th Bullpen: Terry Mulholland, Mike Trombley, Guillermo Mota, Jesse Orosco Gagne moves to the pen with Odalis Perez earning the fifth starter spot. Paul Quantrill, if he doesn't close, is also a quality set-up man (3.04 ERA in that role last season for the Blue Jays). Mulholland and Jesse Orosco provide lefty depth. NL Position Ranking: 9th Closer: Eric Gagne, Paul Quantrill, Giovanni Carrara Unless they make a trade for an established closer, the Dodgers are expected to go with a closer-by-committee with Gagne, Quantrill and Carrara all getting their chance. If Gagne pitches as well as he did this spring, he could be a surprise here. NL Position Ranking: 13th

Overall Power Index Rankings (NL rank):
Position: 10.13 (13th) | Pitching: 9.00 (9th)

-- Matt Szefc