2001 Record: 62-100, 6th in NL Central 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (NL rank) Defense (NL rank) 657 runs (15th) Home: 342 runs (13th) Road: 315 (15th) 858 runs allowed (15th) Home: 4.63 ERA (13th) Road: 5.49 ERA (16th) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Brian Giles, .309 Runs: Giles, 116 On-base pct: Giles, .404 Stolen bases: Kevin Young, 15 Wins: Todd Ritchie, 11 Saves: Mike Williams, 22 Home runs: Giles, 37 RBI: Aramis Ramirez, 112 Slugging pct.: Giles, .590 OPS: Giles, 994 ERA: Ritchie, 4.47 Strikeouts: Ritchie, 124

ESPN's Take Q: Can Kris Benson pitch effectively this year, coming off Tommy John surgery? Benson had Tommy John surgery last April, around the same time John Smoltz had it the year before. Smoltz was eventually able to come back -- but he had his ups and downs; expect the same for Benson. A pitcher can come off that surgery and get some quality games in, but the consistency isn't there right away. One day, your arm feels great -- the next day, you can barely move it. Eventually, Benson will return to full form, but he's not out of the woods yet. -- Dave Campbell  Jayson Stark's Crystal Ball The Pirates will trade Brian Giles to the A's hours before the trading deadline. Few know about Craig Wilson, mainly because he only got 158 at-bats last season. Depending on your league eligibility, he could play catcher (10 games last year) and you might have a steal. For the past couple of years Kip Wells has been knocking on the door, and now that the Pirates are making him their No. 2 starter, this could be the year he emerges. He's been hittable in the past, but is having a nice spring and impressing many. -- Eric Karabell Batting order Adrian Brown, CF Pokey Reese, 2B Brian Giles, LF Aramis Ramirez, 3B Kevin Young, 1B Jason Kendall, C Armando Rios, RF Jack Wilson, SS Bench Craig Wilson, Derek "Operation Shutdown" Bell, Pat Meares, Abraham Nunez, Keith Osik Rotation Kip Wells, Jimmy Anderson, Dave Williams, Sean Lowe, Ron Villone Bullpen Mike Williams, Scott Sauerback, Brian Boehringer, Tony McKnight, Pat Rapp, Kris Benson, Mike Fetters J.R. House, C After a monster Class A season in 2000 (.348, 23 HRs), House considered playing football at West Virginia (he threw for 14,000 yards as a high school quarterback). He decided to stick with baseball, but fell to .258 with 11 HRs in Double-A.

Catcher: Jason Kendall A thumb injury limited Kendall in 2001 and after three straight years of a .320+ batting average and .400+ OBP, he slipped to a .266 average and .335 OBP. Previously, he was an ideal top-of-the-order hitter. He's been hitting lower in the order in spring training, but if he's healthy he's a far superior No. 2 hitter than Pokey Reese. NL Position Ranking: 4th First Base: Kevin Young The Pirates would be wise to bench Young and his 709 OPS and install Craig Wilson as the everyday first baseman. NL Position Ranking: 16th Second Base: Pokey Reese The best defensive second baseman in the game, Reese will help Pittsburgh's moundsmen but hit just .224 with a .284 OBP. But if you see Lloyd McClendon hitting him first or second, the Pirates will be destined to finish last in runs scored NL Position Ranking: 11th Third base: Aramis Ramirez The Pirates finally gave Ramirez the third-base job and he responded with a terrific campaign. There's no reason he can't hit .300 with 34 HRs again and he's young enough (23) to do even better. NL Position Ranking: 3rd Shortstop: Jack Wilson The Pirates had terrible production from every infield spot except third base (last in OPS in the NL at first, second and shortstop). Wilson is unlikely to keep the job if he hits as poorly, despite his excellent defense. Is having a nice spring with four home runs. NL Position Ranking: 16th Left Field: Brian Giles We love this guy. Most underrated, most unappreciated ... call him whatever you want, but call him one of the best hitters in baseball. Since coming to Pittsburgh, he's had OPS marks of 1.032, 1.026 and 994. Only one hitter in baseball has been higher all three seasons (Manny Ramirez). NL Position Ranking: 3rd Center Field: Adrian Brown Missed almost all last season with a torn labrum, but the Pirates hope he can bounce back to the good leadoff skills he showed in 2000 when he had a .373 OBP and stole 13 bases in 14 attempts. If he plays that well, he's better than listed below. NL Position Ranking: 15th Right Field: Armando Rios Tore his ACL two days after coming over from the Giants, but he's been playing in spring training and should be able to start the season. Rios is underrated because of size (5-9) and fourth-outfielder label, but he has a career 860 OPS in 709 at-bats. Craig Wilson may get a lot of time out here. NL Position Ranking: 14th No. 1 Starter: Kip Wells Wells never put it together with the White Sox with a 5.14 ERA in 67 career games. His strikeout/walk ratios have been poor and he slumped miserably after a strong first half (his ERA rose from 2.49 to 7.52). NL Ranking among starters: 48th No. 2 Starter: Jimmy Anderson The most extreme groundball pitcher in the NL last year, Anderson wasn't helped much by Pittsburgh's bad infield defense; he'll be thankful to have Reese behind him. That said, it's hard to win when you strike out only 89 batters in 206 innings. NL Ranking among starters: 55th No. 3 Starter: Dave Williams The 23-year-old made only 11 appearances above Class A before reaching the bigs. Considering his inexperience, a 3.71 ERA was a fine performance. He didn't fan many hitters in the majors, but had 201 at Class A in 2000. He could take a big leap forward with a little refinement. NL Ranking among starters: 54th No. 4 Starter: Sean Lowe Acquired along with Wells in the Todd Ritchie deal, Lowe could be a nice addition. A reliever throughout most of his career, he started 11 times for Chicago and had a 4.45 ERA as a starter. Again, he's not a big strikeout pitcher. The Pirates were last in the NL with 908 K's. NL Ranking among starters: 60th Bullpen: Scott Sauerbeck, Tony McKnight, Kris Benson, Mike Fetters, Josh Fogg The Pirates don't have a surefire setup guy among the group. Youngsters like Josh Fogg and Tony McKnight could help, but if they pitch well they could end up in the rotation. The Pirates would be smart to let Benson get some innings in the pen before rushing him back as a starter. NL Position Ranking: 16th Closer: Mike Williams Traded away at midseason, Williams re-signed as a free agent. Williams has a career 4.43 ERA, but somehow obtained that magical designation of "closer." His ERAs of 5.09, 3.50 and 3.80 the last three years are not overly impressive and shows how overrated saves are. NL Position Ranking: 12th

Overall Power Index Rankings (NL rank):
Position: 10.25 (14th) | Pitching: 14.67 (16th)

-- David Schoenfield