The Nationals are planning to pick the contract of second baseman/left fielder Darren Baker on Sunday, in keeping with the Discuss Nats feed (X hyperlink). Some area will have to be cleared on Washington’s 40-man roster, however a corresponding transfer on the lively roster won’t be crucial, since rosters increase from 26 to twenty-eight gamers on Sunday.
A tenth-round decide for the Nats within the 2021 draft, Baker isn’t thought of one among Washington’s prime 30 prospects by both Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. Nevertheless, he has been red-hot on the plate in August, constructing his season-long slash line to .285/.348/.340 over 483 plate appearances with Triple-A Rochester. Whereas he doesn’t supply a lot energy, Baker makes plenty of contact and is a menace on the basepaths, with 38 steals in 43 makes an attempt this season.
Baker has primarily performed second base and left discipline throughout his minor league profession, however won’t get a ton of motion at both place since Luis Garcia Jr. and James Wooden (each left-handed batters, like Baker) are established in on a regular basis roles. Baker has performed a little bit of middle discipline so he might get some platoon work up the center with Jacob Younger, and he might be a part of the DH combine with the likes of Juan Yepez, Andres Chaparro, and veteran Joey Gallo.
Baker can be making his MLB debut each time he seems in a recreation, however the 25-year-old isn’t any stranger to the massive leagues. The son of legendary supervisor Dusty Baker, Darren turned identified to followers when he was simply three years outdated, and dealing as a batboy for the daddy’s Giants group through the 2002 World Collection. Throughout Sport 5, Baker was operating in the direction of house plate to select up Kenny Lofton’s bat after a two-run triple, and might need been run over by baserunner David Bell if J.T. Snow hadn’t rapidly grabbed the teenager out of hurt’s method after Snow scored earlier on the play.
That incident led to the league instituting a rule that every one batboys needed to be at the least 14 years outdated, and thus “the Darren Baker rule” has already ensured Baker some stage of notoriety inside baseball historical past. Now, he can create a brand new identify for himself by formally changing into a Main League participant, and persevering with the Baker household’s on-field legacy within the recreation. (Present followers could know Dusty Baker greatest as a supervisor, however the elder Baker was a two-time All-Star and former NLCS MVP throughout an impressive 19-year taking part in profession.)
