| Wilkes-Barre Barons | |
| Firstseason: | 1886 |
| Lastseason: | 1955 |
| Allyears: | 1886–1889, 1892–1900, 1902, 1905–1917, 1923–1954 |
| City: | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
| Past Class Level: |
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| League: | Eastern League (1938–1955) |
| Past League: |
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| Pastmajorleague: |
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| Pastnames: |
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| Pastparks: | Artillery Park |
| Leaguechamps: | 7 (1909, 1910, 1911, 1917, 1930, 1932, 1950) |
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.
They played home games at Artillery Park some seasons.
Multiple notable players spent time with the team, including:
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888 | 59-48 | 3rd | none | |
| 1905 | 70-52 | 3rd | none | |
| 1906 | 52-76 | 8th | none | |
| 1907 | 69-66 | 5th | none | |
| 1908 | 60-77 | 7th | none | |
| 1909 | 88-53 | 1st | League Champs | |
| 1910 | 85-53 | 1st | League Champs | |
| 1911 | 82-61 | 1st | League Champs | |
| 1912 | 81-57 | 2nd | none | |
| 1913 | 84-56 | 2nd | none | |
| 1914 | 79-55 | 2nd | none | |
| 1915 | 54-60 | 6th | none | |
| 1916 | 62-63 | 4th | none | |
| 1917 | 81-37 | 1st | League Champs | |
| 1923 | 47-74 | 5th | none | |
| 1924 | 51-82 | 7th | none | |
| 1925 | 60-71 | 7th | ||
| 1926 | 56-73 | 7th | none | |
| 1927 | 80-56 | 2nd | none | |
| 1928 | 71-65 | 3rd | none | |
| 1929 | 50-86 | 8th | none | |
| 1930 | 79-59 | 1st | League Champs | |
| 1931 | 80-59 | 2nd | none | |
| 1932 | 78-61 | 1st | League Champs | |
| 1933 | 71-67 | 3rd | none | |
| 1934 | 66-67 | 5th | ||
| 1935 | 79-57 | 2nd | ||
| 1936 | 62-75 | 7th | ||
| 1937 | 77-57 | 2nd | Lost League Finals | |
| 1938 | 51-87 | 8th | ||
| 1939 | 58-82 | 8th | ||
| 1940 | 56-76 | 8th | ||
| 1941 | 87-51 | 1st | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1942 | 79-61 | 4th | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1943 | 77-61 | 4th | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1944 | 51-89 | 8th | Jack Sanford | |
| 1945 | 78-59 | 2nd | Lost League Finals | |
| 1946 | 76-62 | 3rd | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1947 | 80-60 | 3rd | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1948 | 48-91 | 8th | ||
| 1953 | 54-95 | 7th | ||
| 1954 | 80-59 | 1st | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1955 | 59-78 overall | -- | Wilkes-Barre moved to Johnstown July 1 | |