Darren Baker, Dusty's son, trying to make a name for himself with Sox
GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Darren Baker walked over from White Sox minor league camp to the major league side Saturday morning, approaching a reporter with a pleasant smile.
“I get it from my dad,” Baker said.
Everyone knows Baker’s dad, Johnnie B “Dusty” Baker, a World Series champion as a player and manager with a list of personal and team accomplishments from here to Chicago.
As loved and respected as anyone in the game, Baker was managing the San Francisco Giants when three-year-old Darren, the Giants batboy, avoided getting run over at home plate by baserunner David Bell in Game 5 of the 2002 World Series when the Giants’ J.T. Snow lifted him out of the way.
Snow’s rescue mission brought instant fame to young Darren, who says he really doesn’t remember the incident. His child-like, overzealous ambition in that moment had much to do with the object of his pursuit: the bat belonged to Kenny Lofton, his favorite player.
“To me it never happened unless I see it on TV,” Baker said. “It’s funny. I was a little kid and got too excited, man. I just jumped the gun.”
It would be jumping the gun to say where Baker, now 27 with a 7-for-14 including two doubles in nine games with Washington in 2024 on his major league resume, will fit in this season. The Nationals released Baker in December after he hit .256/.343/.318 while playing second base and left field for Triple-A Rochester, and he signed a minor league deal with the rebuilding Sox on Feb. 14. Baker is in minor league camp, likely competing for a job at Triple-A Charlotte.
Baker appeared in his fourth Cactus League game Saturday, playing second base against the Guardians. He started a double play with a backhand flip to shortstop, reached on an infield single and stole second and third, the latter on catcher Kody Huff's return throw to pitcher Kolby Allard.
“Everybody has been welcoming. I love it here,” he said.
“I’m just stacking days right now, just getting better each day,” Baker said. “I don’t look too far into the future, just trying to make it through spring training and go from there.”
Now with the organization on the South Side of town, the North Side was home to Baker from ages 4 to 8 while Dusty was managing the Cubs from 2003-07.
“I played my first Little League at Welles Park [in Lincoln Square] and we still have lifelong friends I made there. And my mom loves Chicago, she wants to go on every road trip there. It’s a big part of my family.”
Baker followed his dad’s baseball path, played high school ball under the microscope 10 minutes where his dad starred, played at Cal Berkeley and was drafted by the Nationals in the 10th round in 2021. He’s a career .280/.347/.347 hitter with seven homers and 102 stolen bases in the minors.
His versatility will help his chances of landing a job at Charlotte. And he says the intangibles he brings should, too.
“I do a lot of little things; I feel like I’m a winning player,” said Baker, who is 3-for-4 with a walk this spring. “I’ve been around the game at a high level where I know what it’s supposed to look like. I haven’t played forever, but I’ve at least watched or seen or spoke about a lot of the game. Nothing really surprises me, and I feel like the more you watch me play you’ll notice different little things that help the team win.”
Baker talks often with his dad, but not always about baseball.
“My dad has taught me about life, about maturing and becoming a man,” he said. “Whatever wisdom he has for me, I’m all ears.
“My dad is very generous. He can meet you for the first time and make you feel like you’ve been friends for life. He has a pure heart and he sees the best in everybody. That’s something I want to take with me.”