Celebrating Black History Month: Highlighting Barron, Mitchell & Rayford
In celebration of Black History Month, throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are looking back at some of the best Black players to suit up for their club. While some of these standout performers from across the sport went on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply
In celebration of Black History Month, throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are looking back at some of the best Black players to suit up for their club.
While some of these standout performers from across the sport went on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great Minor League careers. Some were notable for their presence, both on and off the field. And, in a few cases, some had that one incredible season that went down as “a year for the ages.”
Over the month, we will highlight some of the best Black baseball players to ever suit up for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
In the past, we have highlighted greats like Marlon Anderson, Ryan Howard, Aaron Judge, Wendell Magee and Jimmy Rollins.
Tony Barron
Barron was initially drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers and signed with Philadelphia as a free agent before the 1997 season. The outfielder appeared in 194 games over two seasons with the Red Barons, hitting .298 with 36 home runs and 140 runs batted in. Barron was truly a professional hitter, finishing his 16-year professional career with a .300 batting average between the Majors, Minors and Foreign Leagues over 1602 games played.
DJ Mitchell
Mitchell was selected by the Yankees in the 10th round of the 2008 Draft out of Clemson and made his SWB Yankees debut in his second professional season. Over three seasons with SWB, Mitchell appeared in 46 games, starting 41 of them, going 21-13 with a 3.81 earned run average. His 3.18 ERA in 2011 remains seventh-best in any single season in franchise history.
Floyd Rayford
Rayford spent the final three seasons of a 16-year career as part of the first Red Barons teams. Though he only appeared in 81 games, “Sugar Bear” was a fan-favorite and clubhouse presence for those early Bill Dancy-led clubs. At the tail-end of his playing days, Rayford went into coaching and even spent the 1996 campaign as the manager for the Phillies' short-season club in Batavia, leading the Clippers to a 42-33 record.
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Saintly Start: SWB tops St. Paul 8-5 Tuesday
ST. PAUL, MN (June 3, 2025) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders topped the St. Paul Saints 8-5 in Tuesday’s series opener at CHS Field. Tuesday night. The RailRiders built an early lead, only to watch the Saints rally before Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ultimately put the game away in the final three innings. Box
Offertunity Knocks: RailRiders announce two special deals
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Squandered: RailRiders lose lead late to WooSox in 7-4 loss
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Shutout Saturday: RailRiders blank WooSox 3-0
MOOSIC, PA (May 31, 2025) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders blanked the Worcester Red Sox 3-0 Saturday night at PNC Field. Four different RailRiders pitchers helped secure Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s seventh shutout of the year and second win in a row against the WooSox. Box Score RailRiders starter Allan Winans allowed his first
Duel and a Double: Jackson's late hit leads Woodford and SWB to win
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Almost Enough: Late rally halted in 3-2 RailRiders loss
MOOSIC, PA (May 29, 2025) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders fell to the Worcester Red Sox 3-2 Thursday night at PNC Field. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was held scoreless for eight innings, scoring two in the ninth but losing by one run for the second straight game against Worcester. Box Score The Red Sox
Last Gasp Loss: RailRiders fall on late WooSox run
MOOSIC, PA (May 28, 2025) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders dropped a 5-4 decision to the Worcester Red Sox at PNC Field on Wednesday afternoon. The RailRiders rallied from a three-run hole to tie the game, only to see the Red Sox plate a late run to even the set at
Raining on Sunday: Series finale versus Sounds rained out
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Music To Our Ears: RailRiders stymie Sounds 10-5
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Shootah! Christopher McDonald VIP meet & greet
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I'm Movin' On: RailRiders drop 7-6 decision to Sounds in 11
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T-R-O-U-B-L-E: RailRiders swept in Wednesday twinbill
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Bring on the Rain: RailRiders and Sounds postponed Tuesday
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For the Birds: RailRiders fall 20-7 to Mud Hens Thursday
MOOSIC, PA (May 15, 2025) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders fell to the Toledo Mud Hens 20-7 Thursday night at PNC Field. Three early four-run frames from Toledo were too much for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to overcome. Box Score Toledo opened the scoring in the first, hitting two home runs to take a
Momentum = Runs x Velocity: SWB wins STEM School Day tilt
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Blanked: SWB falls 7-0 to Toledo Tuesday
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