"He’s on the fast track for sure," Twins farm director Jim Rantz says.
So fast that he has leap-frogged flame-throwing J.D. Durbin as the organization’s top pitching prospect.
Like teammate Jason Kubel, MLN’s 2004 Minor League Player of the Year, Baker put his name in the spotlight by tearing through the organization last year.
He began the season at Class A Fort Myers, but lasted barely long enough to get a tan, earning a May 16 promotion to Double-A New Britain after going 4-2 with a 2.40 ERA.
Proving that his timing is as good as his fastball, he took a perfect game into the final inning of a seven-inning game in his Double-A debut, with Rantz and Twins general manager Terry Ryan watching from the stands. The gem was broken up on a single by Portland shortstop Raul Nieves.
"I told the guys I might have to follow him on the road if he keeps doing that," Rantz says.
Baker went 5-3, 3.43 in 10 starts for the Rock Cats. He was promoted to Rochester on July 21. That’s when his good fortune took a detour. Despite pitching well in several starts, he didn’t pick up his first Triple-A win until the second-to-last game of the season, finishing a hard-luck 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA.
"He dominated at A ball and dominated at Double-A," Rantz says. "He hit a bit of a wall at Triple-A but then made some adjustments in the Arizona Fall League."
Baker finished with an overall record of 10-8 and a 3.24 ERA, started for Minnesota in the Hall of Fame Game against Atlanta at Cooperstown and was named the Twins’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Few expected him to last long in big-league camp this spring, but he again dominated hitters to the tune of a microscopic 0.82 ERA
"I'm not afraid to go to [Terry Ryan] and say Baker's our best pitcher," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters in March. "He'll probably tell me to get the hell out of his office, but I'm not afraid to do it."
Ryan didn’t do that, but he did make Baker the last pitcher to be cut from big-league camp.
Baker was leading the International League with a 1.33 ERA for Rochester when he earned his first big-league callup on May 2 to replace pitcher Juan Rincon, suspended 10 days for violating major-league baseball's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Although he pitched in only one game – a scoreless inning against Tampa Bay – he says it was a boyhood dream come true.
"It was everything I thought it would be, if not more," he says. "It’s a different animal up there."
Odds are, he’ll be back before long.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound craftsman throws a fastball that peaks at 94 mph, a nasty curve, a changeup and a slider.
"He does a lot of things with his fastball,'' says Syracuse SkyChiefs manager Marty Pevey. "His velocity ranges from 89 to 94 and there's a lot of late life on it. I like his makeup and his grace on the mound.''
Rochester catcher Rob Bowen says Baker's poker-faced demeanor is one of his strengths.
"He can be 10 runs up or 10 runs down and you'd never be able to tell by looking at him,'' Bowen says. "He works just as hard in his workouts as he does during a game. He's got a better work ethic than some of the guys pitching for the Twins right now.''
Baker is naturally laid back but says his stoic mound demeanor is intentional.
"I've learned to be like a gunfighter,'' he says. "No emotion, whether it goes good or bad.''
Rochester pitching coach Bobby Cuellar has an impressive resume, having coached two Cy Young Award winners – Montreal’s Pedro Martinez in 1995 and Seattle’s Randy Johnson in 1997. He says Baker has the physical and mental makeup to be a hit in the big leagues.
"He has a natural gift, which is a fastball that has life at home plate,'' Cuellar says. "He hides the ball real well. You don't see it till it's coming toward home plate. It's God-given talent.''
True to his split personality on the diamond, Baker grew up idolizing a pitcher (Nolan Ryan) and a middle infielder (Ryne Sandberg).
After high school, he moved on to Oklahoma State and was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2001 and a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2003.
The Twins came calling that June.
Baker met his wife, LeAnn, at OSU when he was a sophomore and she was a freshman. The two were married in December 2003 and are expecting their first child this August. They will name the boy Elijah.
"Eli for short," Baker says.
Eli’s coming. His dad isn’t far behind.
"Baker has good command, good stuff and good mound presence," Rantz says. "He’s a veteran in a rookie’s body."
Pevey says the former shortstop will make short work of big-league hitters before long.
"If he can develop that slider a bit, he’ll be devastating to right-handed hitters," the manager says. "He’s going to have a long career up there."
