The Washington Nationals used their 27th round pick in the MLB draft to pick Darren Baker, son of Nationals manager Dusty Baker and one-time very small, very cute batboy.
Darren Baker, the child batboy who nearly got crushed in the World Series, was drafted by the Nationals
He’s all grown up and playing on his dad’s team!
Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images
Darren became famous after he was saved by Giants first baseman J.T. Snow during the 2002 World Series. Darren, who was tasked with picking up bats larger than himself at the age of 3, almost got hit by a baserunner at home plate. Everyone was safe — but the situation was a scary one:
And that was almost 15 years ago! Wanna feel even older? Darren just finished high school and had committed to play college baseball at the University of California before the draft.
So luckily, his bad brush with baseball as a 3-year-old didn’t scare him away from the sport. Now he’s joining his dad in the Nationals organization.
Last week, Dusty Baker said he understood his son’s worries about the draft.
“I was anxious, both anxious and disappointed, when my name wasn’t called till the third day, you know what I mean, but either way his future is bright,” he told media.
Dusty was picked by the Atlanta Braves in the 26th round of the 1967 draft and went on to win the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981. So don’t count out Darren — he’s come a long way since his days of being a too-young batboy.
