Darren Baker

Darren John Baker

• Bats Left, Throws' Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• School University of California, Berkeley
• High School Jesuit High School (Sacramento)

• Born February 11, 1999 in Redwood City, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

2B Darren Baker is a prospect in the Washington Nationals organization. He is the son of former Nationals manager Dusty Baker and first made the national news as a four-year-old during the 2002 World Series when he served as a bat boy for the San Francisco Giants, then managed by his dad. In Game 5 on October 24th, he was almost involved in what could have been a serious collision at home plate when he went to pick up the bat dropped by Kenny Lofton after getting a hit in the bottom of the 6th. There were two runners on base, and Darren had not noticed that the second one, David Bell, was running home at full steam. Luckily, J.T. Snow, who had just crossed the plate, realized what was happening, and swept him away from the play, avoiding what could have been a serious injury. This was seen as feel-good story at the time (the tiny Baker was adorable in his miniature Giants uniform) but Major League Baseball realized it had dodged a bullet and the following January passed a rule that bat boys had to be a minimum of 14 to be allowed onto the field.

That was all that was known of Baker until his teenage years, when he emerged as a prospect in his own right as a high school player in the Sacramento, CA area. Upon graduation, he was taken in the 27th round of the 2017 amateur draft by the Nationals who were managed by his father at the time. He declined their offer and went on to attend the University of California, Berkeley for four years, where he was a legitimate star, batting .327 as a senior in 2021. He also did well in the Cape Cod League, batting .342 for the Wareham Gatemen in 2019. That resulted in his being drafted again by the Nationals, this time in the 10th round of the 2021 amateur draft. He began his professional career that same year, hitting .333 in 22 games between the FCL Nationals and the Fredericksburg Nationals of the Low-A East. By then, his father was managing the Houston Astros and in spring training in 2022, the Nats arranged a surprise for him by having Darren deliver him the line-up card before a spring training game between the two teams in West Palm Beach, FL on March 20th. He then had the game-winning RBI in the contest, making his father even more proud.

2022 was a breakout season in the minors for Darren, as he was named to the National League squad for the 2022 Futures Game, played at Dodger Stadium. He had started the season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Carolina League, before earning a promotion to the Harrisburg Senators of the AA Eastern League, a quick rise through the system. In 105 games between the two teams, he batted .280/.343/.365 with 66 runs and 39 RBIs while stealing 15 bases in 19 attempts. Following the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League. In 2023, he was mainly with the AAA Rochester Red Wings, although he also played a total of 8 games between AA and the FCL Nationals. In 107 total games, he hit .284/.350/.349 with 50 runs and 21 stolen bases. He then received an invitation to the Nationals' major league spring training in 2024.

Further Reading

• Jessica Camerato and Brian McTaggart: "Dusty surprised by son Darren during lineup exchange: Prospect logging game-winning RBI was ‘what a father lives for’", mlb.com, March 20, 2022. [1]
• Bill Ladson: "Following in dad's footsteps, Baker sets sights on Majors", mlb.com, February 25, 2024. [2]
• Manny Randhawa: "Remember him? Darren Baker makes jaw-dropping stop", mlb.com, May 11, 2023. [3]