The Central League was a professional baseball league that played for one season, 1888. The teams that played in the league were the Allentown Peanuts, Binghamton Crickets, Hazleton Pugilists, Jersey City Skeeters, Newark Trunkmakers, Scranton Miners and Wilkes-Barre Barons. The league champion was the Newark Trunkmakers, who went 83–23. The league's president was John W. Collins.
| 1888Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark Trunkmakers | 83 | 23 | .783 | - | Chris Meisel | |
| Jersey City Skeeters | 84 | 25 | .771 | 0.5 | Pat Powers | |
| Wilkes-Barre Barons | 59 | 48 | .551 | 24.5 | ||
| Scranton Miners | 55 | 51 | .519 | 28.0 | ||
| Allentown Peanuts | 51 | 57 | .472 | 33 | Fergy Malone / Charles Reuter | |
| Easton | 38 | 67 | .362 | 44.5 | L.F. Abbott / John Henry / Henry Putnam | |
| Elmira | 34 | 73 | .318 | 49.5 | ||
| Binghamton Crickets | 15 | 50 | .231 | NA | ||
| Hazleton Pugilists | 7 | 32 | .179 | NA | Charles Gessner |
| John Crogan | Newark | BA | .335 | Bill Daley | Jersey City | W | 42 | ||
| John Crogan | Newark | Runs | 116 | Harry Pyle | Jersey City | PCT | .818 18-4 | ||
| John Crogan | Newark | Hits | 158 | ||||||
| Jimmy Knowles | Jersey City | HR | 4 | ||||||
| John McKee | Wilkes-Barre | SB | 112 |