2001 Record: 80-82, 3rd in AL East 2001 Results | 2002 Schedule | 2002 Roster | 2001 Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (AL rank) Defense (AL rank) 767 runs (9th) Home: 412 runs (7th) Road: 355 (11th) 753 runs allowed (6th) Home: 4.52 ERA (9th) Road: 4.03 ERA (3rd) 2001 Stats Leaders   Average: Shannon Stewart, .316 Runs: Stewart, 103 On-base pct: Carlos Delgado, .408 Stolen bases: Jose Cruz, 32 Wins: Three with 11 Saves: Billy Koch, 36 Home runs: Delgado, 39 RBI: Delgado, 102 Slugging pct.: Delgado, .540 OPS: Delgado, 948 ERA: Chris Carpenter, 4.09 Strikeouts: Carpenter, 157

ESPN's Take Q: With a reliance on so many young players, do the Jays have a realistic shot this season? The Blue Jays could be the sleeper team in the AL East. They have a nice blend of established players in Carlos Delgado, Raul Mondesi, Jose Cruz Jr. and Shannon Stewart and a wealth of emerging young arms in Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay and Luke Prokopec. Their pen has great arms in Kelvim Escobar and Bob File. Only time will tell how new GM J.P. Ricciardi's decision to trade closer Billy Koch will pay off, but the Jays seem close to being a contender. Watch for Mondesi to have a big season. The Jays have speed, power and pitching. Manager Buck Martinez has the ingredients; let's see if he can get them all on the same page. -- Tom Candiotti  ESPN.com's Crystal Ball Raul Mondesi finally drives in 100 runs ... but only after going to Marlins in midseason trade for Kevin Millar. How valuable is a 30/30 player in fantasy? As valuable as the '01 versions of Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield, anyway. Jose Cruz Jr. (34 HR, 32 SB) finished on par with the sluggers in ESPN's '01 5x5 Player Rater, but is still being taken at least 70 picks after them in ESPN drafts.. If you doubt Kelvim Escobar's ability to close, consider this: Last year, he allowed just a .182 BA to the first batter he faced and an equally stingy .193 BA to batters he faced in relief. He was also second in the AL in BA allowed in relief with runners on base. -- Brandon Funston Batting order Shannon Stewart, DH Homer Bush, 2B Raul Mondesi, RF Carlos Delgado, 1B Jose Cruz, LF Eric Hinske, 3B Vernon Wells, CF Darrin Fletcher, C Felipe Lopez, SS Bench Josh Phelps, Joe Lawrence, Brian Lesher, Chad Mottola, Chris Woodward, Dave Berg Rotation Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay, Luke Prokopec, Brandon Lyon, Scott Eyre Bullpen Kelvim Escobar, Bob File, Dan Plesac, Felix Heredia, Pedro Borbon, Brian Cooper Orlando Hudson, 2B After a big year last season, Hudson will begin 2002 in Triple-A. If he plays well, he could unseat Homer Bush at second base by the All-Star break.

Catcher: Darrin Fletcher The veteran receiver struggled with the bat in 2001 and may lose playing time to rookie Josh Phelps, who comes with a power stick (31 HRs at Double-A), but questionable defense. Another catching prospect, Jayson Werth, is also waiting in the wings. AL Position Ranking: 12th First Base: Carlos Delgado Hit .272 in 1999, .344 in 2000 and .279 in 2001. Which number doesn't fit? While his 2000 monster season appears to be a fluke, he's still one of the best hitters around due to his great power totals and 100+ walks. AL Position Ranking: 2nd Second Base: Homer Bush For the second straight year, missed half the season on the DL. Durability and lack of strike-zone judgment (8 BBs, 50 K's) mean his hold on a starting job is precarious. Definitely not the type of player new GM J.P. Ricciardi is fond of. AL Position Ranking: 12th Third Base: Eric Hinske Acquired from Oakland in the Billy Koch trade, Hinske is a southpaw swinger who hit .282 with 25 HRs in Triple-A. Sleeper Rookie of Year candidate who has job assurance to play through any early slumps. AL Position Ranking: 13th Shortstop: Felipe Lopez Turns 22 in May and has the tools -- both offensively and defensivly -- to be a great one, but expect some growing pains in his first full season. Hit 23 HRs between Double-A, Triple-A and majors. Needs to cut down on strikeouts. AL Position Ranking: 11th Left Field: Jose Cruz If only he could consolidate all his abilities in the same season. Hit for decent average (career-high .274) and power (career-high 34 HRs) last year, but didn't walk as much as in the past (45 walks, after drawing 71 in 2000). Added 32 steals and improved defense. AL Position Ranking: 2nd Center Field: Vernon Wells Wells' super-prospect status has faded the past two seasons, but he'll finally get a chance in Toronto. He's solid in center but his power hasn't developed as expected (12 HRs in Triple-A, just two in 186 career big-league ABs). AL Position Ranking: 11th Right Field: Raul Mondesi Big contract ($11 million in 2002) makes a trade unlikely. Still seeks first 100-RBI season. Ouch. Who ever decided to pay this overrated "star" that kind of money? (Hint: the Dodgers). AL Position Ranking: 7th Designated Hitter: Shannon Stewart Expect Stewart to return to full-time leadoff duties again after struggling in action at three-hole. Stewart's leadoff skills (steals, walks) haven't really developed through the years, but he still ranks among the best. Weak throwing arm means he may get the most DH duty among the four outfielders. AL Position Ranking: 3rd No. 1 Starter: Chris Carpenter The big righty rebounded from his disastrous 2000 campaign to post a career-best 4.09 ERA and reach 200 innings for the first time. Rumored trade bait. AL Ranking among starters: 22nd No. 2 Starter: Roy Halladay Halladay's 2000 was even worse than Carpenter's; in fact, it was the worst in major-league history (10.64 ERA in 67 innings) for anyone with 50 or more innings. Halladay started in Class A but got back to the majors by July and had a 3.16 ERA in 16 starts. His 96/25 K/BB ratio bodes well for a strong 2002. AL Ranking among starters: 21st No. 3 Starter: Luke Prokopec Acquired from Los Angeles, the Australian righty had a solid rookie year after skipping Triple-A. Had 6.19 ERA after the All-Star break, so needs to improve durability. AL Ranking among starters: 39th No. 4 Starter: Brandon Lyon Surprisingly reached the majors a week before his 22nd birthday in just his second pro season. Held his own in 11 starts (4.29 ERA). AL Ranking among starters: 45th Bullpen: Dan Plesac, Bob File, Felix Heredia, Pedro Borbon, Brian Cooper Strong from the left side (Plesac, Heredia, Borbon), but lack of dominating right-hander prevents this crew from being among the elite. AL Position Ranking: 8th Closer: Kelvim Escobar Despite posting a 3.18 ERA in 11 starts, Escobar returns to the pen on a full-time basis, this time as the closer. Devastating against right-handed hitters (.206 average, 2 HR allowed), he has the stuff to be a top-flight closer. AL Position Ranking: 9th

Overall Power Index Rankings (AL rank):
Position: 8.11 (9th) | Pitching: 6.83 (8th)

-- David Schoenfield