[FuzzyRussianHat]

Above are the top-rated batters in professional baseball entering the 1898 season.



Above are the top-rated pitchers in the game heading into the 1898 campaign.

Below are the leaderboards entering the season and milestones that may be reached.





In spring training news, former MVP RF Jimmy Ryan with Buffalo suffered a broken hand and is expected out four months. He had been healthy in the last two years after his initial two seasons with the Bisons had been injury-plagued. Former #1 pick Joe Corbett with the Giants suffered rotator cuff inflammation, which is expected to keep him out until late May or early June.

Indianapolis LF Fred Clarke suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, although the Clowns are optimistic he’ll be back in the summer. Former Pitcher of the year Ed Daily, who signed with Buffalo in the winter, suffered a torn UCL with a 15-16 month recovery time. Several injuries have wrecked Daily in his 30s, including a torn flexor tendon in 1895 and UCL tear in 1893.

Elsewhere in the world, the USS Maine ship exploded and sank near Havana, Cuba. While later evidence suggests the explosion was an accident, American authorities would blame it on a Spanish attack, leading to the Spanish-American War officially beginning in April.