Projected batting order Tony Womack, SS Craig Counsell, 3B Junior Spivey, 2B Luis Gonzalez, LF Danny Bautista, RF Steve Finley, CF Lyle Overbay, 1B Rod Barajas, C Rotation Randy Johnson, LHP Curt Schilling, RHP Elmer Dessens, RHP John Patterson, RHP Byung-Hyun Kim, RHP Bench Alex Cintron, 2B David Dellucci, OF Mark Grace, 1B Quinton McCracken, OF Chad Moeller, C Matt Williams, 3B Bullpen Matt Mantei, RHP (CL) Miguel Batista, RHP Mike Koplove, RHP Mike Myers, LHP Bret Prinz, RHP Greg Swindell, LHP Complete Diamondbacks roster  ESPN's Take Q: Is age a factor in the Diamondbacks' ability to have another run at the World Series? Yes and no. I think it will be a factor, but they are still the team to beat with Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. They have an intimidation factor that players don't like to talk about. When you see those two coming through, you check to see when they last pitched to see if you'll have to face them. There is only guy you put in their class in this division: Barry Bonds. Bob Brenly is a smart manager who will offset their age by giving his everyday players some time off, which may allow a younger player to have a breakthrough season like Junior Spivey did last year. -- Tony Gwynn Was Junior Spivey's 2002 season a fluke? An indication that the Diamondbacks might think so is that he's projected to move near the bottom of the order, after hitting second or third last year. Expect Spivey's numbers to go down just a bit. The numbers don't add up for Elmer Dessens. Top 10 in ERA, but only a handful of wins? Dessens now goes to the team that led the NL in runs, so if he can pitch that well again, his wins could double, as well as his fantasy value. -- Eric Karabell Chad Tracy, 3B Hit .344 in Double-A. Seventh-round pick out of East Carolina in 2001, Tracy has a very quick bat and should continue to hit for average, but he knocked just eight homers last year, and isn't a polished defensive player.

Manager: Bob Brenly  Home: Bank One Ballpark (45,050)  '02 record: 98-64  Team page | Schedule | Offseason moves

Catcher: Chad Moeller/Rod Barajas Moeller hit .286 in 105 at-bats, .338 in 80 ABs against right-handers, and caught Randy Johnson the last two months of '02. Barajas managed just .234 in 154 ABs, and is Miguel Batista's personal catcher. Six of one … First Base: Lyle Overbay The D-Backs' youngest regular at 26, Overbay is a left-handed line-drive hitter who uses all fields, much like his predecessor at first and current tutor, Mark Grace. Last year at Triple-A Tucson, he hit .343/19/109, wrapping up a four-year minor-league career during which he never finished below .340 while averaging 102 RBIs. Second Base: Junior Spivey Spivey hadn't been guaranteed a roster spot last spring, but he became the full-time 2B after Matt Williams and Jay Bell were injured. In his first full major-league season, he led the club in average (.301), hits (162), doubles (34) and runs (103) despite a cold bat in September. Expect him to get even better in 2003. Third Base: Craig Counsell The neck surgery Counsell underwent in September to fuse two vertebrae has mostly affected his throwing. If he fully recovers, he will again be the regular third baseman, but his versatility gives the D-Backs several options. His role may change from day to day, but he's sure to get plenty of work. Shortstop: Tony Womack Acquired by the D-Backs for his speed, Womack's stolen-base success rate has declined every year since he was a rookie in 1997. Last season he converted 70 percent of his attempts. In the second half, he used his speed to bunt his way on and posted his best OBP since 1999, a still unimpressive .325. In the last year of his contract, he'd like to accelerate that trend. Left Field: Luis Gonzalez Last season saw Gonzalez hit half as many home runs as the year before and his batting average dip below .300 for the first time since '98, due to an August rib-cage injury and to pitchers bearing down more against him. He's coming off reconstructive shoulder surgery and won't match his career year of 2001, but his new contract tells you he's still being counted on to lead the Arizona offense. Center Field: Steve Finley Finley may be the youngest 38-year-old in baseball. He hit .287/25/89 in 2002, bettering his career averages in all three categories despite a slow start. He hit well this spring, and Bob Brenly says he's already reached midseason form. Right Field: Danny Bautista As the D-Backs' fourth outfielder, Bautista followed up his solid 2001 regular season with a 7-for-12 performance in the World Series. In '02, he got off to a spectacular start, hitting .325 as the everyday right fielder before an injury to his left shoulder ended his season in May. Now recovered, Bautista picked up this spring where he'd left off. No. 1 Starter: Randy Johnson In 2002, Johnson became the first pitcher to strike out over 300 batters five years running; this year he can become the first to capture five straight Cy Youngs. He's 39 and has collected more innings over the past four seasons than any other pitcher, but still brings it home at 98 mph. No. 2 Starter: Curt Schilling If not for his teammate Randy Johnson, Schilling would have taken the past two Cy Youngs for leading the NL in innings pitched and going 45-13 while racking up over 600 strikeouts. He struggled in September with a 5.87 ERA, but regained his touch this spring. Johnson and Schilling are baseball's best 1-2 punch. No. 3 Starter: Elmer Dessens If Dessens matches his 2002 numbers, the team will be happy. His 3.03 ERA was sixth in the NL, and for the first time in his career, he gave up less than a hit per inning. He'll keep the D-Backs in the game as long as he's on the mound, but he's rarely able to last into the late innings. No. 4 Starter: John Patterson Patterson has been plagued by injuries over five minor-league seasons and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2001, but showed a lot of confidence in his first big-league camp this spring. His fastball comes in at 93 mph, he'll throw a curve anywhere in the count, and he is developing a split-fingered fastball. No. 5 Starter: Byung-Hyun Kim After his disastrous 2001 season coming out of the Boston 'pen, Derek Lowe had only one way to go as a starter: up. BK doesn't have that luxury. Kim is just 24 and will be happier in the rotation, so this could be a brilliant long-term solution for an aging staff. But with his weapon of choice being the strikeout, which means high pitch counts, Kim may be needing even more naps than usual come August. Bullpen: Miguel Batista, Mike Koplove, Mike Myers, Greg Swindell Batista joined the rotation last year when Brian Anderson struggled and will be ready to do so again if needed. Myers' submarine style is especially deadly against lefties. Swindell has been experimenting with a knuckleball. The versatile Koplove can be used in long relief, in a setup role or as a right-handed specialist. Closer: Matt Mantei Having undergone Tommy John surgery in 2001, Mantei found last year that his fastball had lost about 7 mph. He used that to his advantage by learning to pitch smarter without power. This spring, his fastball is again registering 99 mph on the radar gun, assuring everyone that his arm is as strong as ever. That together with greater maturity spells a very promising return.

-- Dave Sutter, ESPN The Magazine

Record: 98-64 | Finish: 1st in NL West (lost in NLDS to St. Louis) | Results | Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (NL rank) Defense (NL rank) 819 runs (1st) Home: 454 (2nd) Road: 365 (7th) 647 runs allowed (5th) Home: 350 (11th) Road: 324 (2nd) 2002 Stats Leaders   Average: Junior Spivey, .301 Runs: Spivey, 103 On-base pct: Luis Gonzalez, .400 Stolen bases: Tony Womack, 29 Wins: Randy Johnson, 24 Saves: Byung-Hyun Kim, 36 Home runs: Gonzalez, 28 RBI: Gonzalez, 103 Slugging pct.: Steve Finley, .499 OPS: Gonzalez, .896 ERA: Johnson, 2.32 Strikeouts: Johnson, 334