Scouting Reports The Yankees and the Braves have more talent, but at playoff time the Red Sox will have the right ingredients to beat them both

HOW THEY'LL FINISH
overall rank in parentheses

American League

EAST
1. Yankees (1)
2. Red Sox* (3)
3. Blue Jays (14)
4. Orioles (18)
5. Devil Rays (23)

CENTRAL
1. Indians (4)
2. White Sox (20)
3. Tigers (21)
4. Royals (25)
5. Twins (30)

WEST
1. Mariners (10)
2. Athletics (11)
3. Rangers (16)
4. Angels (22)

National League

EAST
1. Braves (2)
2. Mets (8)
3. Phillies (17)
4. Expos (26)
5. Marlins (28)

CENTRAL
1. Reds (6)
2. Astros* (7)
3. Cardinals (13)
4. Pirates (15)
5. Cubs (24)
6. Brewers (29)

WEST
1. Diamondbacks (5)
2. Giants (9)
3. Dodgers (12)
4. Rockies (19)
5. Padres (27)

*wild-card team

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

American League Division Series

Yankees over Mariners
Red Sox over Indians

National League Division Series

Braves over Astros
Diamondbacks over Reds

American League Championship Series

Red Sox over Yankees

National League Championship Series

Braves over Diamondbacks

World Series

Red Sox over Braves

HOW WE RANK 'EM

1. New York Yankees
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Arizona Diamondbacks
6. Cincinnati Reds
7. Houston Astros
8. New York Mets
9. San Francisco Giants
10. Seattle Mariners
11. Oakland Athletics
12. Los Angeles Dodgers
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Toronto Blue Jays
15. Pittsburgh Pirates
16. Texas Rangers
17. Philadelphia Phillies
18. Baltimore Orioles
19. Colorado Rockies
20. Chicago White Sox
21. Detroit Tigers
22. Anaheim Angels
23. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
24. Chicago Cubs
25. Kansas City Royals
26. Montreal Expos
27. San Diego Padres
28. Florida Marlins
29. Milwaukee Brewers
30. Minnesota Twins

For team schedules, complete rosters and career stats on every
player, plus the latest news and analysis from Tom Verducci, go
to cnnsi.com/baseball.

COLOR PHOTO: PHOTOGRAPH BY CHUCK SOLOMON OUT TO GET THEM Jose Offerman and Boston are set to put an end to the title run of Chuck Knoblauch and New York.