2001 Record: 79-83, 4th in NL West 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (NL rank) Defense (NL rank) 789 runs (6th) Home: 327 runs (15th) Road: 462 (1st) 812 runs allowed (tied for 12th) Home: 4.09 ERA (9th) Road: 4.99 ERA (15th) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Phil Nevin, .306 Runs: Ryan Klesko, 105 On-base pct: Nevin, .388 Stolen bases: Rickey Henderson, 25 Wins: Kevin Jarvis, 12 Saves: Trevor Hoffman, 43 Home runs: Nevin, 41 RBI: Nevin, 126 Slugging pct.: Nevin, .588 OPS: Nevin, 976 ERA: Jarvis, 4.79 Strikeouts: Jarvis, 133

ESPN's Take Q: Is Bruce Bochy the most underrated manager in baseball? Yes. When he's had a team that can win, Bochy wins. And when he's had a team worth $35 million less in payroll than any other team in his division, he still finds a way to make his team competitive. A Bruce Bochy team has never been embarrassed. -- Dave Campbell  Jayson Stark's Crystal Ball Sean Burroughs' rookie numbers: .324, 30 doubles, 12 homers, 88 RBI. You read them here first. Lost in the euphoria of Ryan Klesko and Phil Nevin being big-time sluggers was the breakout season of well-traveled Bubba Trammell. He's not a triple-crown threat by any means, but he's always had power, and his 500 at-bats equated to 25 homers. He can do better. Brian Lawrence only threw 114.2 innings last year, but they were good innings, and now the Pads are hoping he can be a staff ace. Lawrence had a good K/BB ratio and kept the ball in the park, major keys to winning. Count on 12 wins this season. -- Eric Karabell Batting order Mark Kotsay, CF D'Angelo Jimenez, 2B Ryan Klesko, RF Phil Nevin, 1B Bubba Trammell, LF Sean Burroughs, 3B Wiki Gonzalez, C Ramon Vazquez, SS Bench Ray Lankford, Ron Gant, Tom Lampkin, Deivi Cruz, Cesar Crespo, Mark Sweeney, Trenidad Hubbard Rotation Brian Lawrence, Bobby Jones, Kevin Jarvis, Brian Tollberg, Brett Tomko Bullpen Trevor Hoffman, Alan Embree, Jose Nunez, Steve Reed, Jeremy Fikac, Jason Boyd, Kevin Walker Jake Peavy, RHP Throws mid-90s fastball along with a slider and changeup. Has shown great command throughout minor leagues and could land big-league job by midseason.

Catcher: Wiki Gonzalez Gonzalez should see most of the playing time behind the plate though Tom Lampkin, acquired from Seattle in the Ben Davis trade, could push for more playing time if Gonzalez doesn't hit like he did last year. NL Position Ranking: 8th First Base: Phil Nevin Begins his first year at first base with rookie Sean Burroughs taking over the reigns at the hot corner. Set career highs in '01 with 41 home runs and 126 RBI while also batting .306. NL Position Ranking: 3rd Second Base: D'Angelo Jimenez Moves to second after playing only shortstop last year. Could be a good top-of-the-order hitter in that he had a solid OBP (.355) in '01. NL Position Ranking: 14th Third Base: Sean Burroughs Rookie phenom has excelled in all three years he's played in the minor leagues. Only knock against him is his lack of power (nine homers last year were the most he's had in a season). Should be a future star. NL Position Ranking: 8th Shortstop: Ramon Vazquez Acquired from the Mariners in the offseason, gets his first opportunity to play on the big-league level. Hit .300 in Triple-A last season and defensively has good range and a strong arm. NL Position Ranking: 8th Left Field: Bubba Trammell Got his first chance to be a regular last year and proved worthy of the promotion as he established career highs in homers (25) and RBI (92). May have to split time with Ray Lankford early on, but should get plenty of playing time. NL Position Ranking: 13th Center Field: Mark Kotsay Showed an ability to consistently get on base (.366 OBP), which bodes well for him remaining productive in the top half of the Padres' batting order. Is also a top-notch outfielder. NL Position Ranking: 6th Right Field: Ryan Klesko Had a second straight impressive offensive season in '01, setting career highs in home runs (30) and RBI (113). Moves to the outfield, a shift the Padres hope won't be detrimental to his offensive game. NL Position Ranking: 7th No. 1 Starter: Brian Lawrence Posted a 3.23 ERA in 15 starts last season. Isn't a strikeout pitcher (just 84 K's in 114.2 innings), but on the flip side has very good control (34 walks). NL Ranking among starters: 37th No. 2 Starter: Bobby Jones Led the Padres in innings pitched (195) in '01, but did lose 19 games while compiling a 5.12 ERA. Needs to be better if Pads are going to seriously contend for a playoff spot. NL Ranking among starters: 49th No. 3 Starter: Kevin Jarvis Led the team with 12 wins in '01 while also having very good control (just 49 walks in 193.1 IP). Isn't a top-of-the-rotation starter, but fits in well in the middle. NL Ranking among starters: 51st No. 4 Starter: Brian Tollberg Won 10 games last year, but struggled for the most part after breaking the middle finger on his pitching hand in an early May start. Brett Tomko, acquired from Seattle in the offseason, could slide into this spot if Tollberg falters. NL Ranking among starters: 61st Bullpen: Alan Embree, Jose Nunez, Steve Reed, Jason Middlebrook Nunez will work as the primary left-handed set-up man. Did well for Pads in that role in '01, compiling a 3.31 ERA in 51.2 IP. Embree and Reed are both veterans who signed in the offseason and will provide bullpen depth. NL Position Ranking: 13th Closer: Trevor Hoffman Has saved 40 or more games in five of the last six seasons. And though he's now 34 remains among the elite closers. His devastating changeup remains his bread-and-butter pitch. NL Position Ranking: 2nd

Overall Power Index Rankings (NL rank):
Position: 8.38 (9th) | Pitching: 11.83 (12th)

-- Matt Szefc