03/31/2002

NEW YORK YANKEES

LAST YEAR: 95-65, A.L. East Champs, A.L. Champs.

COMING: 1B Jason Giambi; RH Steve Karsay; OF Rondell White; LH David Wells.

GOING: 3B Scott Brosius; RF Paul O'Neill; 1B Tino Martinez.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: DH Nick Johnson.

STRENGTHS: A terrific front three (Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte) features three potential Cy Young winners; athletic middle infield combination; motivation to regain championship title; strong heart of the lineup; improved power with addition of Giambi; unbeatable late-inning relief duo of LH Mike Stanton and RH Mariano Rivera.

WEAKNESSES: Age, potentially; back end of the rotation could be an issue if health of Wells, Orlando Hernandez and Sterling Hitchcock falters; bullpen depth.

OUTLOOK: The Yankees have some questions, including how all the newcomers will fit in. Still, as always, they must be considered the team to beat in the A.L.

BOSTON RED SOX LAST YEAR: 82-79, second place.

COMING: CF Johnny Damon; RH Dustin Hermanson; RH John Burkett; 2B Rey Sanchez; OF/DH Rickey Henderson; 1B Tony Clark.

GOING: OF Darren Lewis; OF Carl Everett; OF Troy O'Leary; INF Mike Lansing; RH David Cone; RH Bret Saberhagen; RH Rod Beck; INF John Valentin.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: RH Juan Pena.

STRENGTHS: Improved speed with the addition of Damon and Henderson; healthier and younger starting rotation; Pedro Martinez, the game's best pitcher when healthy; stronger middle of the lineup; double-play combination.

WEAKNESSES: Defense at the infield corners; lack of lefty starter, which will hurt against New York, Seattle and Oakland; absence of proven No. 2 starter.

OUTLOOK: As goes Pedro, so go the Red Sox. The team is far healthier than the end of last season, but if Martinez is injured, so too are any chances the Sox have of making the post-season.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS LAST YEAR: 80-82, third place.

COMING: RH Luke Prokopek

GOING: RH Paul Quantrill; SS Alex Gonzalez; RH Billy Koch.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: 3B Eric Hinske.

STRENGTHS: Strong, athletic outfield; team speed; lefthanded bullpen depth.

WEAKNESSES: Lineup strikes out too much; inexperience; no established front-of-the-rotation starter.

OUTLOOK: New GM J.P. Ricchiardi has plenty of work to do to bring the Jays back into the A.L. East picture. His first season is likely to have its share of growing pains as the Jays go younger.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES LAST YEAR: 63-98, fourth place.

COMING: OF Marty Cordova; OF Chris Singleton.

GOING: 3B Cal Ripken Jr.; OF Brady Anderson.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: C Geronimo Gil.

STRENGTHS: Respectable rotation, especially if RH Scott Erickson rebounds from elbow surgery; defense up the middle, though SS Mike Bordick's range has been reduced.

WEAKNESSES: Offense in general; unproven and inexprienced bullpen; on-base ability at top of the lineup.

OUTLOOK: Dismal, again. It's sad to see such a great franchise fall into such disrepair.

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS LAST YEAR: 62-100, fifth place.

COMING: RH Kevin McGlinchy.

GOING: OF Jose Guillen; LH Jeff Wallace.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: OF Josh Hamilton.

STRENGTHS: Speed at the top, led by wispy OF Jason Tyner; talented outfield prospects are close to contributing.

WEAKNESSES: Almost no power to speak of; thin rotation with little experience; poor bullpen.

OUTLOOK: One scout said it all this spring: "This might be the worst team I've ever seen." In the age of expansion, that's saying something.

MINNESOTA TWINS LAST YEAR: 85-77, second place.

COMING: RH Mike Jackson; MGR Ron Gardenhire.

GOING: MGR Tom Kelly.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: OF Mike Cuddyer.

STRENGTHS: Outstanding defense, both infield and outfield; excellent starting rotation; team speed; "us-vs.them" mentality after contraction threat.

WEAKNESSES: Lack of power; unproven closer in LH Eddie Guardado; uncertain RF situation.

OUTLOOK: Don't be surprised if the Twins make Major League Baseball look silly by winning the division. Their pitching and defense may help them top a division that's on the downturn.

CLEVELAND INDIANS LAST YEAR: 91-71, first place.

COMING: OF Brady Anderson; 2B Ricky Gutierrez.

GOING: 2B Roberto Alomar; OF Marty Cordova; RF Juan Gonzalez; OF Kenny Lofton.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: RH Ryan Drese.

STRENGTHS: Decent power, even after the loss of Alomar and Gonzalez, led by 1B Jim Thome and OF Russell Branyan; good starting pitching, especially if RH Danys Baez makes the transition out of the bullpen.

WEAKNESSES: Age -- seven of the nine starters are 29 or older; injury histories of 3B Travis Fryman and DH Ellis Burks.

OUTLOOK: The Indians are a team in transition, eschewing the long ball for a more athletic look with young pitching. If they avoid injuries, they could give the Twins a run until the end.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX: LAST YEAR: 83-79, third place.

COMING: RH Todd Ritchie; OF Kenny Lofton.

GOING: OF Chris Singleton; RH Sean Lowe.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: RH Dan Wright.

STRENGTHS: The return of a healthy DH Frank Thomas should bolter the offense, which includes the formidable OF Magglio Ordonez and 1B Paul Konerko; good back-end of the bullpen with RHs Keith Foulke and Bob Howry.

WEAKNESSES: Mostly young rotation lacks a veteran anchor and could really falter if LH Jim Parque doesn't make it back; very old up the middle with Lofton, SS Royce Clayton and C Sandy Alomar; health of some middle relievers.

OUTLOOK: Was the White Sox' 2000 division title a mirage? It seems that way. They could contend, but they'll need everything to go right.

DETROIT TIGERS LAST YEAR: 66-96, fourth place.

COMING: 1B Dmitri Young; DH Craig Paquette.

GOING: OF Roger Cedeno; 1B Tony Clark.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: RH Nate Cornejo.

STRENGTHS: Versatility of some position players; adequate speed at the top.

WEAKNESSES: Little power, even with the return of 3B Dean Palmer; suspect overall defense; ordinary rotation.

OUTLOOK: Grim. Who will be fired first -- manager Phil Garner or GM Randy Smith?

KANSAS CITY ROYALS LAST YEAR: 65-97, fifth place.

COMING: OF Chuck Knoblauch; OF Michael Tucker.

GOING: C Gregg Zaunn.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: LH Darrell May.

STRENGTHS: 1B Mike Sweeney, one of the game's best pure hitters and a solid citizen; defense, led by SS Neifi Perez and CF Carlos Beltran; bullpen duo of RH Roberto Hernandez and Jason Grimsley, though they're somewhat wasted given how few leads there will be to protect.

WEAKNESSES: Rotation may be the weakest in either league; not much punch beyond Sweeney.

OUTLOOK: The Royals are the small market poster children, although Friday's signing of Mike Sweeney to a long-term extension may lift morale in the short term.

SEATTLE MARINERS LAST YEAR: 116-46, first place.

COMING: RH James Baldwin; 3B Jeff Cirillo; RH Shigetoshi Hasegawa: OF Ruben Sierra; C Ben Davis.

GOING: RH Aaron Sele; OF Al Martin.

STRENGTHS: Strong offense which isn't dependent on the long ball; RH Freddie Garcia and LH Jamie Moyer form a terrific Top 2 in the rotation; bullpen tandem of LH Arthur Rhodes-RH Kazuhiro Sasaki; splendid team defense.

WEAKNESSES: Age is a concern, given the advancing years of Moyer, 1B John Olerud and OF Mark McLemore.

OUTLOOK: The M's won't come close to their record-tying 116 wins of a year ago, but they should be good enough to repeat as division champs.

OAKLAND A'S LAST YEAR: 102-60, second place, wild card.

COMING: 1B-DH Scott Hatteberg; RH Billy Koch; 1B Carlos Pena; OF David Justice.

GOING: RH Jason Isringhausen; 1B Jason Giambi; OF Johnny Damon.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: 1B Carlos Pena.

STRENGTHS: Perhaps the best Big Three in the game -- RH Tim Hudson and LHs Barry Zito and Mark Mulder; plenty of power throughout the lineup; aggressive front office willing to make important mid-season deals.

WEAKNESSES: Overall defense, but particularly in the outfield; thin bullpen beyond Koch; mental block regarding playoff success.

OUTLOOK: The A's were hurt badly by free agent defections, but their ability to score runs in bunches and their superb starting pitching should get them to the post-season for a third straight season.

ANAHEIM ANGELS LAST YEAR: 75-87, third place.

COMING: RH Kevin Appier; RH Aaron Sele; DH Brad Fullmer; LH Dennis Cook.

GOING: RH Shigetoshi Hasegawa; RH Pat Rapp; 1B Mo Vaughn; RH Ismael Valdes.

STRENGTHS: Starting rotation may rank just behind Oakland and New York in the A.L. for overall depth; Appier and Sele add veteran presence to an otherwise young staff; little production from 1B; OFs Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon expected to rebound from disappointing seasons.

WEAKNESSES: Defense, particularly in the middle of the infield, where SS David Eckstein and 2B Adam Kennedy are plucky, but limited; overall depth is a question mark.

OUTLOOK: The Angels may well be the most improved team in the A.L. Unfortunately for them, they play in the league's toughest division, so their progress may not be reflected in the year-end standings.

TEXAS RANGERS LAST YEAR: 73-89, fourth place.

COMING: RH Chan Ho Park; LH John Rocker; OF Carl Everett; RF Juan Gonzalez; RH Dave Burba; RH Dan Miceli; RH Jay Powell; RH Todd Van Poppel.

GOING: 1B Carlos Pena; LH Darren Oliver; RH Rick Helling; OF Ruben Sierra.

ROOKIE TO WATCH: 3B Hank Blalock.

STRENGTHS: Best lineup in the game -- period; strong infield defense; deep bullpen, with lots of set-up options.

WEAKNESSES: Starting pitching drops off quickly after Park; chemistry could be an issue with volatile personalities like Rocker and Everett present.

OUTLOOK: New GM John Hart seems to be making the same mistake he made in Cleveland -- ignoring the importance of starting pitching while hoping his team can outscore the opposition every night. They may be entertaining, but they won't be very good.