Luken Baker
Luken Grosvenor Baker
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 265 lb.
- School Texas Christian University
- High School Oak Ridge High School (Montgomery County)
- Debut June 4, 2023
- Born March 10, 1997 in Spring, TX USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Luken Baker won the 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year award as a pitcher, but became a position player in college.
He played for the US in the 2014 U-18 Pan American Championship. He was taken in the 37th round of the 2015 amateur draft by the Houston Astros, but decided to attend Texas Christian University instead. He was 3-1 with a 1.70 in 10 starts his first year there and hit .379 with 62 RBI. He led the Big 12 Conference in runs (59), RBI, average and hits (94). He hit a three-run homer in the opener of the 2016 College World Series to beat Texas Tech University then homered against eventual champion Coastal Carolina. He was named the DH on the all-tournament team. He was the first Gatorade Player of the Year winner to attend college since Drew Henson in 1998.
He was drafted again, by the St. Louis Cardinals, in the 2nd round of the 2018 amateur draft and began his professional career that season, splitting it between the GCL Cardinals and the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League. He reached AAA for the first time at the end of the 2021 season, and started the 2022 season at that level, with the Memphis Redbirds of the International League. While he was a DH in college, he has been a first baseman in the pros. In 123 games, he hit .228 with 21 homers and 68 RBIs. He hit much better over the first two months of the 2023 season with Memphis, maintaining a batting average of .310 in his first 50 games through the end of May. On May 28th, he hit a spectacular homer, managing to send the ball 412 feet away in left field in spite of breaking his bat in two. It was his 15th long ball of the year, giving him the lead in the IL at that point. Less than a week after that, he made his major league debut for the parent Cardinals, starting at DH against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He picked up his first two major league hits in going 2 for 4 in the 2-1 loss.
Further Reading[edit]
- Melanie Heller: "Minor Leaguer's bat sawed off ... and he homers anyway", mlb.com, May 27, 2023. [1]
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