FIRST BASE — Tino Martinez, underappreciated for his glove, has a big defensive advantage on Todd Zeile. But the new Met first baseman has provided a much larger power/run production quotient than Martinez. And this is an offensive position.

EDGE — Mets

SECOND BASE — Edgardo Alfonzo is one of the top 15 position players in baseball, combining offense, defense and professionalism. In many ways, he is Derek Jeter without the fanfare. Chuck Knoblauch(-esq-)s throwing is again worrisome and his offense has been sporadic at best, and he no longer even seems willing to try and steal bases regularly.

EDGE — Mets

SHORTSTOP — Realistically, this was going to be a big edge Yankees even if Rey Ordonez were not hurt. The gap only grows now. Jeter, after returning from the DL, has looked like an all-round force again. Kurt Abbott had been allergic to driving in runs and is not nearly the defensive player that Ordonez or Jeter is.

EDGE — Yanks

THIRD BASE — It now looks as if 1998 was simply a career year for Scott Brosius, who has not been nearly as impactful on offense since. Robin Ventura has come down a grade from last season. Still, he is a superb defender who brings power and RBIs to the Met hot corner.

EDGE — Mets

LEFT FIELD — With all the talk of the Yankee problems in this area, the Mets also have struggled; first with Rickey Henderson and then with all of his replacements. Probably the nicest thing you can say about Benny Agbayani or Joe McEwing is that they have provided a tad more consistency than Ricky Ledee, who has more tools, but may need to leave New York for it to come out.

EDGE — Mets

CENTER FIELD — Bernie Williams has hit, hit for power and hit in the clutch. He has been the Yanks(-esq-) most consistent offensive player. Like left field, center field has been a revolving door for the Mets as they wait for Darryl Hamilton to get healthy. All together a cast headed by Jay Payton and McEwing does not approach Williams.

EDGE — Yanks

RIGHT FIELD — Derek Bell started hot and has cooled considerably. Nevertheless, he has been wonderful on defense and a surprise on offense. Paul O(-esq-)Neill listened to plenty of talk about fading big time at age 37. But he is pretty much approximating his Yankee days, which means .300-plus with plenty of clutch run production.

EDGE — Yanks

CATCHER — This should have been a big edge for the Mets. But Jorge Posada has been terrific on both sides of the ball. He has been disciplined at the plate, hit for average, power and in the clutch. He also has been a deterrent to base stealers. Mike Piazza could be the best hitter in the sport and more than any time as a Met he has hit consistently in big spots. But his throwing is just terrible.

EDGE — Mets

STARTING PITCHING — Mike Hampton, after a treacherous beginning, has established himself as the best starter in New York. Al Leiter is a terrific No. 2. Glendon Rusch has been a surprise from nowhere. The worry is the health/production of Bobby Jones, Rick Reed and whomever the Mets reach to in order to solve problems. Roger Clemens, David Cone, Orlando Hernandez and Andy Pettitte have not been as formidable a quartet as in the past, but still provide the Yankees regular quality, and Ramiro Mendoza has been better than competent in the No. 5 role earmarked for Ed Yarnall.

EDGE — Yanks

RELIEF PITCHING — This was supposed to be a Met strength. But overuse early seemed to dim Armando Benitez, Dennis Cook and Turk Wendell. John Franco is slowly adapting to his set-up role, and could emerge as an important factor as this season goes along. This has been the most consistent element for the Yankees. Mariano Rivera has not been as dominant as in the second half last season, but nevertheless remains elite. Jason Grimsley, Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton have done yeoman set-up jobs.

EDGE — Yanks

BENCH/DH — To maintain their core players(-esq-) high salaries, the Yanks sacrificed bench depth and it has shown. Shane Spencer has evolved into a tough at-bat, who just may be the 30-homer guy many Yankee officials said he was. But Clay Bellinger, Wilson Delgado, Felix Jose and Jim Leyritz fail to provide a strong second tier. Todd Pratt could be the best back-up catcher in baseball. On paper, the rest of the Met bench looks strong. But Abbott and all the backup outfielders have not provided the expected punch.

EDGE — Mets

MANAGER — The first quarter season provided another glimpse into the dynamics of New York(-esq-)s two skippers. There has been plenty of worry about all that is wrong with the Yankees, yet Joe Torre has — as always — remained calm and his team has not gone into any kind of panic, except for the owner. Bobby Valentine found himself embroiled in more controversy whether it was Wharton-gate or dealing with Rickey Henderson. Yet, he continues to man a winning team and you would never find an opposing manager who would say Valentine is unprepared for any game situation. These are two of the best managers in baseball.

EDGE — Yanks