Darren Baker to forge own legacy with Nats
WASHINGTON -- In 2002, Darren Baker, son of Giants manager Dusty Baker, went viral before we even knew what that meant. The 3-year-old Darren was serving as a batboy during Game 5 of the World Series when he ran out to home plate to grab Kenny Lofton's bat after he ripped a two-run triple. San Francisco slugger J.T. Snow scored from third on the play, then scooped up the toddler as David Bell came home from second, helping to narrowly avoid a collision.
Years have passed since that moment -- Dusty moved on to manage the Cubs, Reds, Nationals and now the Astros -- and son Darren is no longer that little boy. On Monday, he was the 10th-round pick of the Nats in the 2021 MLB Draft.
¡°You look at dad, and you're thinking, ¡®OK, well, Darren is gonna fill out, we're gonna wait for him to fill out a little bit,¡¯¡± said Kris Kline, the Nationals' assistant general manager and vice president of scouting operations. ¡°When he gets out in pro ball, I would love to see if he can just master the ability to drag bunt -- maybe do that once or twice a game. Get 10, 15, 20 extra-base hits, and utilize his best asset, which is his speed.¡±
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In 2017, Washington drafted Darren in the 27th round out of high school. But the 18-year-old chose to pursue a collegiate career, attending and playing for the University of California-Berkeley. Dusty was the Nationals' manager at the time, and he knew his son was going to play college ball. Darren wanted to improve and move out of his father¡¯s shadow.
Though Baker and the Nationals parted ways at the end of that season, Washington¡¯s scouts kept their eye on Darren.
¡°This is one player we've seen for a long, long time,¡± said Mark Baca, the Nationals' assistant director of amateur scouting. ¡°Obviously, you got bloodlines there, but he's a really good player. [He¡¯s] intelligent; you watch him play on the field. So that's a big trait. He [has] tools, is very versatile. We really liked the player. Everything about the way his clock works. Great instincts.¡±
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Darren Baker has said before that he wants to make a name for himself -- not wanting his legacy to just be Dusty Baker¡¯s son.
Sure, he will forever be that little kid who had 30 seconds of fame during Game 5 of the 2002 World Series, but Baker and the Nationals hope he creates some new October baseball moments during his playing career.