Son of longtime SF Giants manager called up by the Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals called up speedy utility bat Darren Baker as rosters expanded to 28 in September, per the team's transaction log. Of course, Baker is the son of former SF Giants manager and baseball lifer Dusty Baker.

Son of longtime SF Giants manager called up by the Washington Nationals

The younger Baker made a name for himself in hilarious and unforgettable fashion as a three-year-old bat boy during the 2002 World Series. He ran onto the field to retrieve a bat in the middle of the play. Thankfully, J.T. Snow grabbed him by the jacket as he scored on a line drive off the bat of Kenny Lofton.

Baker was just too good at his job if you ask me. That led to a rule change where bat boys had to be at least 14 years of age. It is a shame that the baseball season ended immediately after that play. It looked like a good series for the Giants up until that point.

The Nationals drafted Baker twice. The first time came in the 27th round of the 2017 draft out of Jesuit High School, but he did not sign. At that point, Dusty Baker was still managing the Nationals. Washington picked him again in the 10th round of the 2021 draft out of the University of California - Berkeley.

Snow and Baker did cross paths quite a bit after that night in 2002. Snow was a play-by-play analyst for the Pac-12 Network that covered Cal sports, so Snow had plenty of firsthand experience watching Baker play.

Since being drafted, Baker has put together a successful career as a pro. In four minor league seasons, he has registered a .286/.348/.354 line with an 8.7 percent walk rate, 17.3 percent strikeout rate, and .068 ISO. This includes a .688 OPS in 483 plate appearances in Triple-A before his promotion to the major league club this year.

The left-handed bat does not have much power upside, but he does put pressure on the defense with his speed. He has reached double-digit steals in each of the past three years in the minors. In the field, the 25-year-old splits time pretty evenly at second base and left field. He was eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter. The Nationals knew they were going to protect him from that, so they went ahead and added him well before the deadline in November.

He now joins a Nationals team that is building an impressive young core and looks to be a team on the rise in the next season or two.