2001 Record: 85-77, 2nd in AL Central 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (AL rank) Defense (AL rank) 771 runs (8th) Home: 393 runs (8th) Road: 378 (9th) 766 runs allowed (7th) Home: 4.46 ERA (7th) Road: 4.56 ERA (7th) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Doug Mientkiewicz, .306 Runs: Corey Koskie, 100 On-base pct: Mientkiewicz, .387 Stolen bases: Luis Rivas, 31 Wins: Joe Mays, 17 Saves: LaTroy Hawkins, 28 Home runs: Torii Hunter, 27 RBI: Koskie, 103 Slugging pct.: Koskie, .488 OPS: Mientkiewicz, 851 ERA: Mays, 3.16 Strikeouts: Eric Milton, 157

ESPN's Take Q: How will the threat of contraction affect the Twins? Contraction will be a big distraction for the players. It will be tough to only focus on the games when they will be wondering about their futures. Trust me, they will be sick of the word "contraction" by the end of the season. Otherwise, the Twins are exciting to watch. They hustle, dive for balls and play very aggressive baseball. It seems someone will make the defensive highlights every night on Baseball Tonight. They have great pitching led by Brad Radke and Eric Milton. If not for the distractions they'll face, the Twins could be crowned AL Central champions, but will still be a factor. -- Tom Candiotti  ESPN.com's Crystal Ball Twins shock the baseball world as Eric Milton beats Cubs in Game 7 of the World Series. Bud Selig contracts the Twins before parade is held. In a season marred by a fractured wrist, David Ortiz managed 18 HRs in 89 games, a pace of over 30 round-trippers over a full season. He has his health back, he's in his prime (26) and he's stinging spring pitching. Doug Mientkiewicz, Carlos Pena and Brad Fullmer are going ahead of him in ESPN drafts. Don't contribute to that mistake. Moving from Shea to the Metrodome is a fantasy death sentence for Rick Reed. Now he plays in a ballpark that boosts LH HR numbers. Not good for a pitcher that yielded 1.7 HR per 9 innings away from Shea from '98-'00. -- Brandon Funston Batting order Luis Rivas, 2B Cristian Guzman, SS Doug Mientkiewicz, 1B Corey Koskie, 3B David Ortiz, DH Torii Hunter, CF Jacque Jones, LF Brian Buchanan, RF A.J. Pierzynski, C Bench Denny Hocking, Dustan Mohr, Jay Canizaro, Warren Morris, Tom Prince Rotation Brad Radke, Eric Milton, Joe Mays, Rick Reed, Kyle Lohse Bullpen Eddie Guardado, Mike Jackson, LaTroy Hawkins, Bob Wells, J.C. Romero, Jack Cressend Adam Johnson, RHP First-round pick in 2000 throws in the mid-90s with decent offspeed stuff. Will begin the year at Triple-A and though he's been a starter in minors could develop into a closer.

Catcher: A.J. Pierzynski Pierzynski played 110 games behind the plate in 2001, hitting a surprising.289 and committing 10 errors. But he hit just .167 against lefties. Matt LeCroy deserves some action as backup catcher/DH. AL Position Ranking: 6th First Base: Doug Mientkiewicz Was 12th in the AL with a .306 average last year to go with a .387 OBP and Gold Glove defense. Tailed off late, just as the team did, hitting only .177 in Sep./Oct. Lacks big-time power you want from first base, which moves him down the position rankings. AL Position Ranking: 9th Second Base: Luis Rivas Adequate offensively and posted .392 OBP when leading off, but how good is his defense? Showed very good range but also set a record for fewest double plays turned (65) in playing 150 or more games. Showed good speed with 31 steals and young enough to take big step forward on offense and defense. AL Position Ranking: 6th Third Base: Corey Koskie Had the first 100-RBI season of his three-year career last season. Gave the Twins 21 homers and 82 RBI out of the cleanup spot and hit .351 with eight homers in July. Became just second third baseman ever with 25 HRs and 25 steals (Howard Johnson did it twice). AL Position Ranking: 3rd Shortstop: Cristian Guzman Committed 21 errors at shortstop a year ago, but was named an All-Star after putting together a 17-game hitting streak in June. Also had 25 steals and raised his average from .247 in 2000 to .302. When he went on the DL in July with a shoulder injury, the team stumbled in the standings. AL Position Ranking: 5th Left Field: Jacque Jones Hit .307 in the second half last year, but batted just .182 with no homers against lefties all season. His 92 strikeouts and 32 walks suggest a need for better discipline at the plate. AL Position Ranking: 11th Center Field: Torii Hunter Led the Twins with 27 homers and drove in 92 runs (both career highs), while showing a great arm (14 assists) and winning a deserved Gold Glove with his all-world range and highlight-reel catches. AL Position Ranking: 4th Right Field: Mike Cuddyer / Brian Buchanan Cuddyer was the Player of the Year in the Twins' farm system and could be a 20-plus homer guy in the majors. Buchanan hit .274 with 10 homers and 32 RBI in 69 games in 2001. Buchanan won the job out of camp, but look for Cuddyer by July. AL Position Ranking: 12th Designated Hitter: David Ortiz Posted just a .230 average in the DH spot last year and hit .234 overall, nearly a 50-point drop from 2000. Suffered through and awful second half, batting .202 with a .298 OBP, but did manage 12 homers after the break. AL Position Ranking: 10th No. 1 Starter: Brad Radke Has won 11 or more games every year since 1995, and last season finished in the AL top 15 in innings (226.0), complete games (6) and ERA (3.94) while walking just 26 batters. AL Ranking among starters: 14th No. 2 Starter: Eric Milton Won 15 games and led the team with 157 strikeouts in 2001, and posted a career-low 4.32 ERA. Won seven games after the break but had a 5.01 ERA in the second half. Annually predicted for big breakthrough year; we say he finally gets ERA under 4.00. AL Ranking among starters: 11h No. 3 Starter: Joe Mays Led the team with 17 wins and was third in the AL with a 3.16 ERA. His 232.2 innings also ranked third, while his .235 opponents' average was sixth. Was very successful on the road with a 3.00 ERA and 10 wins away from the Metrodome. AL Ranking among starters: 15th No. 4 Starter: Rick Reed Struggled to a 4-6 record with a 5.19 ERA after coming over from the Mets. Held NL opponents to a .226 average before the All-Star break, but he always pitched much better in Shea Stadium. AL Ranking among starters: 37th Bullpen: Mike Jackson, LaTroy Hawkins, Bob Wells Hawkins will handle set-up duty after blowing nine saves last year and losing the closer job to Eddie Guardado, with Mike Jackson providing additional help. Wells led Minnesota relievers with eight wins last season and J.C. Romero has good stuff from the left side. AL Position Ranking: 12th Closer: Eddie Guardado Should be the full-time closer after saving eight in a row to close last season. Led the team with 67 relief appearances and had a 3.51 ERA to go with a 7-1 record. AL Position Ranking: 13th

Overall Power Index Rankings (AL rank):
Position: 7.33 (8th) | Pitching: 6.17 (7th)

-- Rico Longoria