Corey Baker

Corey A. Baker

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 173 lb.
• School University of Pittsburgh
• High School Clarkstown South High School

• Born November 23, 1989 in New York, NY USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Corey Baker made his pro debut in 2011.

Baker played in the Maccabi Games as a kid. He hit .342 and had a 2.93 ERA as a high school senior. As a college freshman, he was 2-6 with a 5.15 ERA in 2008 with 14 hit batsmen in 64 2/3 IP. The next season, he had a 6-3, 5.91 record and struck out 50, second on Pitt's staff after Nate Reed. As a junior, he improved to 11-3, 5.37. He allowed a .311 average but tied for the Big East Conference lead in wins. He was named All-Big East, joining Matt Barnes, Thomas Royse and Neil Holland as the pitchers chosen. Baker tied for 13th in NCAA Division I in wins, even with players like Chris Sale, Danny Hultzen, Gerrit Cole and Barret Loux. His senior year, he had his best ERA (5.04) with a 5-4 record. He finished his college career as Pitt's career win leader (24-16). The St. Louis Cardinals took him in the 49th round of the 2011 amateur draft. He was the sixth Pitt player taken that year, a school record. He followed Kevan Smith, Ray Black, David Chester, John Schultz and Travis Whitmore.

In his pro debut, June 18th, he allowed two runs on three hits in one inning for the Batavia Muckdogs against the Auburn Doubledays. He was 5-3 with a save and a 2.89 ERA in 19 games (4 starts), walking only 7 in 53 innings. He tied for 10th in the New York-Penn League in wins. He was 3-3 with a save and a 2.44 ERA for the 2012 Muckdogs, with 9 walks in 51 2/3 IP.

Baker split 2013 between the Peoria Chiefs (1-1, Sv, 1.85 in 14 G), Palm Beach Cardinals (2-2, Sv, 3.90 in 14 G) and the Springfield Cardinals (0-1, 6.41 in 8 G). In 2014, he pitched for Palm Beach (5-2, 2 Sv, 2.34 ERA, .97 WHIP in 30 G) and Springfield (1-0, 5.79 in 7 G). He had the lowest-walk rate in the Florida State League. He was 6-6 with a 3.90 ERA in 38 games (11 starts) for Springfield.

In 2016, Corey was with Springfield (4-8, 4.91 in 23 G) and the Memphis Redbirds (1-3, 8.13 in 6 G), pitching mainly as a starter for the first time as a pro. He tied Sandy Alcantara and Deck McGuire for second in the Cards chain in losses.

He pitched for the Israeli national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers held in Brooklyn, NY in September 2016. He started and won the Israelis' second game against Brazil on September 23rd, pitching five scoreless innings in a key 1-0 victory that put Israel in the group finals. They won to earn a spot in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Sources

• Jewish Chronicle article on Baker by Jonathan Mayo
• University of Pittsburgh bio
• World Baseball Classic