The theme of Sports Illustrated's 2004 Baseball Preview Issue is the sport's new Age of Information. As SI senior writer Tom Verducci reveals, the game's conventional wisdom is taking a beating from a new stat-crazy culture that has turned baseball numbers inside out.
SI goes inside the stat wars to answer the essential questions. Does clutch hitting truly exist? Where will the numbers game go? And which teams made the right offseason moves?
And we rank all 30 teams, tell you how they'll finish and predict the playoff winners and, of course, the World Series champs. Click on a team name for a complete preview report, including inside scoop from an opposing scout. And click here for more from SI's Baseball Preview issue.
*Wild-card team
(Overall rank in parentheses) |
AL Division Series
Yankees over Twins
Red Sox over Athletics
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NL Division Series
Cubs over Diamondbacks
Astros over Phillies
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AL Championship Series
Yankees over Red Sox
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NL Championship Series
Cubs over Astros
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World Series
Cubs over Yankees |
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Issue date: April 5, 2004
