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The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a minor league baseball team that existed off-and-on from 1886 to 1955. They began as an unnamed team in the Pennsylvania State Association in 1886.

The following season the team was known as the Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons and played in the Central League in 1888, but the league disbanded after that season. Two Wilkes-Barre team took the field in 1889 and 1892, with the later sharing representation with Pittsburgh, as Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons/Pittsburgh in the record books. The team then played from 1893 until 1898 in the Eastern League, and from 1898 to 1900 in the Atlantic League.

After spending the 1902 season in the Pennsylvania State League, as Wilkes-Barre/Mount Carmel. Their next incarnation came about in 1905, when they began playing in the New York State League, as the Wilkes-Barre Barons. They played in that league until 1917. From 1923 to 1937, they played in the New York–Pennsylvania League and from 1938 to 1948 they played in the Eastern League. Until 1939, they did not have any affiliations, however from 1939 to 1951 they were affiliated with the Cleveland Indians. The team was briefly named the Wilkes-Barre Indians from 1949 to 1951 and were managed by Bill Norman. They won a league championship in 1950 and made the league playoffs each year they played between 1949 and 1951.

From 1953 to 1955 the team regained the Barons name and once again played in the Eastern League, and in 1954 they were affiliated with the Chicago White Sox. In 1955, they were affiliated with the New York Giants when the franchise moved midseason to become the Johnstown Johnnies.

The ballpark

They played home games at Artillery Park some seasons.

Notable alumni

Multiple notable players spent time with the team, including:

• Tony Lazzeri (1943, MGR) – inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991
• Bob Lemon (1940–1941) – inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976
• Joe McCarthy (1912–1914, 1916) – inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957
• Ray Boone (1946) 2× MLB All-Star
• Frank Brannan,
• Bob Bruce (1954)
• Leon Cadore (1912)
• Bill Dietrich (1932)
• Hank Edwards (1941)
• Nick Etten (1936) MLB All-Star; 1940 AL Home Run Leader
• Elbie Fletcher (1935) MLB All-Star
• Alex Ferguson (1932)
• Buck Freeman (1893)
• Mike Garcia (1946-1947) 3× MLB All-Star; 1954 AL ERA Title
• Doug Hansen,
• Jim Hegan (1940) 5 x MLB All-Star
• Dave Hoskins (1950-1951)
• Sam Jones (1950) 2× MLB All-Star; 1959 NL ERA Title
• Bob Kuzava (1946)
• Brooks Lawrence (1951) MLB All-Star
• Danny Litwhiler (1953) MLB All-Star
• Don Mossi (1951) MLB All-Star
• Ray Narleski (1948) 2 x MLB All-Star
• Johnny Niggeling (1933)
• Bill Norman (1947-1951, MGR)
• Dave Pope (1950-1951)
• Allie Reynolds (1962) 6 x MLB All-Star; 1952 AL ERA Title
• Jack Scott (1931)
• Jose Santiago (1950-1951)
• Joe Shaute (1938)
• Harry Simpson (1949) MLB All-Star
• Al Smith (1948-1949) 3 x MLB All-Star
• Scott Stratton (1900) 1890 ERA Title
• Fred Thomas (1948) Outfielder, first black player in the Eastern League
• Hal White (1939)
• Gene Woodling (1942-1943) MLB All-Star
• Heinie Zimmerman (1907) 1912 NL Triple Crown

Year-by-year record

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References

1. Hendriks, Andrew. "July 4, 1948: Thomas first Canuck to break color barrier in pro ball". canadianbaseballnetwork.com. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
2. "Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.

• Sports in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area
• Baseball teams established in 1888
• Baseball teams disestablished in 1955
• 1888 establishments in Pennsylvania
• 1955 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
• Defunct minor league baseball teams
• Defunct baseball teams in Pennsylvania
• Defunct Eastern League (1938–present) teams
• Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates
• Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates
• New York Giants minor league affiliates
• Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania