Indianapolis is the second-oldest minor league franchise in American professional baseball (after the Rochester Red Wings).

The team originated in 1902 as members of the American Association (AA), which was an independent league at the time but was granted Class A status in 1903.

[5] In 1902, Bill Watkins and Charles Ruschaupt established the Indianapolis Indians as charter members of a new minor league American Association (AA).

Since then, the Indians have remained at the top level of Minor League Baseball, though the terminology has changed: Class A (1903–1911), Double-A (1912–1945), and Triple-A (since 1946).

[2] The 1902 Indians, managed by Watkins,[8] won the first American Association championship with a 96–45 record, two games ahead of the second-place Louisville Colonels.

[2] The Indians won their next AA pennant in 1908 with a 92–61 season, four games ahead of Louisville,[11] under manager Charlie Carr.

[2] Led by Jack Hendricks,[13] the 1917 Indians won a third AA title with a 90–63 season, which placed them two-and-a-half games ahead of Louisville and the St. Paul Saints.

[14] The pennant win qualified Indianapolis for the Little World Series against the champions of the International League, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[2] The 1928 Indians, who were managed by Bruno Betzel,[17] won a fourth AA pennant by finishing two-and-a-half games ahead of the Minneapolis Millers at 99–68.

[25] They defeated Minneapolis, 4–3, in the semifinals and the Milwaukee Brewers, 4–3, in the final round, to win their first playoff title and fifth AA championship.

[19] On the heels of a 92–62 campaign, manager Kerby Farrell's Indians defeated Minneapolis, 4–3, in the semifinals before winning their sixth AA title over the Denver Bears, 4–0.

[2][31] The affiliation between the major and minor league Indians remained intact until the teams parted ways after the 1956 season.

[34] The Indians rejoined the Chicago White Sox organization in 1962 and experienced another semifinal playoff exit in the first year of the affiliation.

[6] The Indians became members of the Triple-A International League (IL) in 1963 and retained their affiliation with the White Sox.

[36] They defeated the Syracuse Chiefs, 4–1, in the playoff semifinals before winning the International League championship over the Atlanta Crackers, 4–2.

[37] The Indians continued to serve as the top farm club of the Chicago White Sox through 1967, but they were unable to return to the postseason during the affiliation.

[40] George Scherger managed the 1982 Indians to a fourth Eastern Division title as a Reds affiliate with a 75–61 campaign.

[15] Manager Tom Runnells' 1989 team ended the season with an 87–59 record and the Eastern Division title.

[51] The Indians made return trips to the postseason over the next three years but suffered semifinal eliminations in 1995 and 1997 and a finals loss in 1996.

[19] After 66 seasons at Bush Stadium,[52] the Indians left the ballpark for the new $20-million Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis' White River State Park on July 11, 1996.

[56][57] They defeated the Durham Bulls, 3–2, in the semifinals before winning the International League championship versus the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, 3–2.

[57] The Indians met the Memphis Redbirds, champions of the Pacific Coast League in the Triple-A World Series, winning 3–1.

[22] They qualified for the IL playoffs with a wild card berth, advanced to the finals by defeating the Buffalo Bisons, 3–2, but lost the championship to the Toledo Mud Hens, 3–0.

On September 5, the Indians lost a one-game playoff against the Mud Hens for the division title, 4–0, which eliminated them from postseason contention.

[71] No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner.

Eighteen players and nine managers won league awards in recognition for their performance with Indianapolis in the American Association.

[4] All home and road games can be viewed through the MiLB.TV subscription feature of the official website of Minor League Baseball, with audio provided by a radio simulcast.

[215] In July 2020, a year before Major League Baseball's similarly-named Cleveland Indians changed their name to the "Guardians" in 2021 (which took effect in the 2022 MLB season), Indianapolis management said it would form a committee to determine whether a change was necessary, based on dialogue with local organizations and community members.

Although they acknowledged that, when the team was initially formed, the name was a play on Indianapolis itself, the moniker had evolved to include more Native American references in their logo and marketing.