Projected batting order Carl Crawford, LF Rocco Baldelli, CF Ben Grieve, RF Aubrey Huff, DH Toby Hall, C Travis Lee, 1B Jared Sandberg, 3B Brent Abernathy, 2B Rey Ordonez, SS Rotation Joe Kennedy, LHP Victor Zambrano, RHP Jim Parque, LHP Nick Bierbrodt, LHP Steve Parris, RHP Bench Marlon Anderson, INF Jorge Fabregas, C Jason Tyner, OF Jason Conti, OF Bullpen Lance Carter, RHP (CL) Jesus Colome, RHP Seth McClung, LHP Bobby Seay, RHP Travis Harper, RHP Complete Devil Rays roster  ESPN's Take Q: Really, how much of a difference can Lou Piniella make this season? He will make a tremendous difference pushing and prodding and teaching in hard times, and evaluating talent. If they win 72 games, it will be the best season in franchise history. -- Peter Gammons At just 23, Joe Kennedy is far from hitting his prime. His ERA of 4.53 last season was a bit high, and we'd like to see more strikeouts, but you might want to think about getting in on the ground floor of a future solid pitcher. Look for Kennedy to get better this year. It's always dangerous to draft young players who have yet to prove themselves, but fantasy owners do it anyway. In the case of Carl Crawford, he might struggle, especially being thrust into the leadoff spot, but he will still earn value due to his speed. He's a better fantasy option than Rocco Baldelli. -- Eric Karabell Dewon Brazelton, RHP Was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2001 draft. He got two starts in the bigs last September, and held the Yankees to two runs in seven innings in one of them. He tweaked his knee early this spring, and struggled with a groin injury late. But he should be up with the big club at some point this season.

Manager: Lou Piniella  Home: Tropicana Field (45,200)  '02 record: 55-106  Team page | Schedule | Offseason moves

Catcher: Toby Hall Got the job out of spring training last season, but struggled and was sent back to the minors. But he returned to hit .309 after the All-Star break. He hit .335 in Triple-A the year before, winning the International League MVP. But his bat, and his defense, are still somewhat of a question mark at the major-league level. First Base: Travis Lee Jim Thome replaced him in Philly, but Lee hopes to make a big impact on Lou Piniella's club. He came to camp in much better shape this year. He's excellent on defense, and hit 20 homers two years ago. Look for him to hit around .260 with 15-20 dingers. Second Base: Brent Abernathy Hit .270 in 2001, his rookie season, but his average plummeted to .242 last year. He had the lowest batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage of all major-league 2Bs with 500 trips to the plate. If he struggles again early, utilityman Marlon Anderson may see a lot of time at second. Third Base: Jared Sandberg Showed nice power last season, hitting 18 homers-- but batted only .229. With the release of Greg Vaughn, Aubrey Huff will most likely DH, meaning Sandberg should see plenty of time. He should benefit from more regular playing time, and perhaps Piniella's influence. Shortstop: Rey Ordonez The Mets finally unloaded the slick-fielding shortstop who has little pop at the plate. He'll provide some highlights in the field in Tampa Bay, but don't expect him to hit about .250 or have more than five home runs. Left Field: Carl Crawford Is a top prospect with a lot of speed. He'll hit some triples and steal some bases, and could be a catalyst at the top of the Tampa lineup. He was hot at the plate this spring. But he's also just 21 years old. Center Field: Rocco Baldelli Has had a meteoric rise through the Tampa Bay farm system -- the Devil Rays' No. 1 draft pick in 2000, Baldelli only has a month's worth of experience at Triple-A, yet is poised to become the team's starting center fielder. He'll probably go through some growing pains, but the potential is certainly there. Right Field: Ben Grieve So much was once expected of Grieve, the '98 AL Rookie of the Year. He hit a combined 55 homers in 1999 and 2000, but only 30 the last two seasons. He had a nice spring though, and is working with hitting coach Lee Elia on shortening his swing. Perhaps that will help him return to his earlier form. Designated hitter: Aubrey Huff Suffered an eye injury early last year and returned to Triple-A. When he came back though, he hit a blistering .313 with 23 home runs. He can play first or third, but with Greg Vaughn gone, Huff can be plugged into the DH slot as well. He'll provide power to the lineup. No. 1 Starter: Joe Kennedy Has a lot of potential, but it's hard for your stats to show that when you're a Devil Ray. Still, he is their ace – going 8-11 with a 4.53 ERA last season. But he struggled this spring, which is very bad news for D-Rays fans though he has said he's not concerned. If any Tampa Bay starting pitcher finishes over .500, it would be an achievement. No. 2 Starter: Victor Zambrano Throws hard, and pitched primarily out of the pen last season. But was better as a starter (4.27 ERA in 65.1 innings as a starter vs. 7.21 ERA in 48.2 innings in relief). Piniella's putting him in the rotation, and hopes he'll continue to pitch well there. No. 3 Starter: Jim Parque Parque has only started nine games in the past two seasons with the Chicago White Sox – but he was 13-6 as a starter with the ChiSox in 2000 before tearing the labrum in his shoulder. It's been a long road back, but the Devil Rays are counting on him to thrive in a return to a starting role. No. 4 Starter: Nick Bierbrodt A former No. 1 draft pick of Arizona, he's another young starter, 24, who made 16 starts last year and went 5-6 with a 5.55 ERA in the minors. He's already come a long way -- two bullets from a shooting incident last June remain in his liver and came within millimeters of taking his life. Now he's back in the rotation and thrilled with the opportunity to start. Bullpen: Jesus Colome, Travis Harper, Seth McClung, Bobby Seay McClung and Seay are rookies, while Colome and Harper pitched with the D-Rays last year. This unit isn't exactly goning to scare any opponents, but they'll need to be effective considering Tampa Bay's quality of starting pitching. Closer: Lance Carter Is not a typical closer as he doesn't throw in the mid-to-high 90s. But his control is outstanding -- he only walked 17 batters in 152 1/3 innings between the majors and minors last season. He'll likely get a shot to close some games, but hard-throwing Jesus Colome should get opportunities, too.

-- Kieran Darcy, ESPN The Magazine

Record: 55-106 | Finish: 5th in AL East | Results | Statistics: Batting | Pitching Offense (AL rank) Defense (AL rank) 673 runs (12th) Home: 351 runs (12th) Road: 322 (12th) 918 runs allowed (14th) Home: 449 (12th) Road: 469 (13th) 2002 Stats Leaders   Average: Aubrey Huff, .313 Runs:Randy Winn, 87 On-base pct: Huff, .364 Stolen bases: Winn, 27 Wins: Joe Kennedy/Victor Zambrano, 8 Saves: Estaban Yan, 19 Home runs: Huff, 23 RBI: Winn, 75 Slugging pct.: Huff, .520 OPS: Huff, .884 ERA: Kennedy, 4.53 Strikeouts: Tanyon Sturtze, 137