The Sun's national baseball writer, Peter Schmuck, ranks the major leagues' 28 teams.
Rank, Team, Previous Rank, Comment.
1. Atlanta Braves -- 2 -- Roberto Kelly deal makes for much more stable lineup.
2. New York Yankees -- 1 -- Boggs on a power trip, but Yankees can't stay this hot.
3. Chicago White Sox -- 3 -- The Big Hurt is making this season painless on the South Side.
4. Boston Red Sox -- 4 -- Chamberlain deal shores up outfield, but bloom may be coming off a rosy start.
5. Montreal Expos -- 6 -- Manager Felipe Alou has youthful club putting pressure on seemingly invincible Braves.
6. Baltimore Orioles -- 5 -- Sure glad they never considered trading that Gomez guy.
7. Houston Astros -- 11 -- Balanced attack, solid pitching has Astros neck-and-neck with Reds in NL Central.
8. Cleveland Indians -- 10 -- Good week has them back in second place, but White Sox don't seem worried.
9. Los Angeles Dodgers -- 8 -- Exciting young team starting to look like a real contender.
10. Cincinnati Reds -- 7 -- Deion and Marge could be America's most controversial couple.
11. San Francisco Giants -- 9 -- Still slipping, but no reason to panic just yet.
12. St. Louis Cardinals -- 12 -- Sutcliffe's return gave pitching staff a boost at the right time.
13. Philadelphia Phillies -- 14 -- Acquisition of Quantrill should be major boost to bullpen.
14. Toronto Blue Jays -- 13 -- If Carter doesn't reinjure that thumb soon, the Jays might as well call it a season.
15. Kansas City Royals -- 16 -- Beginning to look like they'll spend most of the year right in the middle of the standings.
16. Chicago Cubs -- 18 -- Starting to look like a pretty respectable team.
17. Minnesota Twins -- 15 -- Gold rush is over, but still very competitive in AL Central.
18. Texas Rangers -- 21 -- Should have run away with AL West a long time ago. Might get started this week.
19. Detroit Tigers -- 25 -- Not a contender yet, but getting more dangerous every day.
20. Colorado Rockies -- 19 -- Fun to watch. What more do you want from a team that's only 14 months old.
21. New York Mets -- 20 -- Is anyone in New York even paying attention right now?
22. Seattle Mariners -- 23 -- Griffey wants out, but at this point, who doesn't?
23. California Angels -- 22 -- Could be ready to take the big plunge.
24. Florida Marlins -- 17 -- Things are starting to come unraveled after decent start.
25. San Diego Padres -- 27 -- Finally making some waves in the NL West, but won't get off the floor any time soon.
26. Pittsburgh Pirates -- 24 -- Going nowhere fast, but still could be a factor in baseball's tightest division.
27. Oakland Athletics -- 26 -- Still time for a miracle, but nothing less will do.
28. Milwaukee Brewers -- 28 -- It's still a good beer town.
Through Wednesday's games.