It took the true freshman just two starts to earn the Friday spot in the rotation. Schloss speaks very highly of the young gun.
“The way he is as a hitter and the way he is as a pitcher is exactly the same,” Schlossnagle said of the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Baker. “He’s not just a power hitter, he can really hit. He uses the whole field. He’s going to adjust with two strikes. He’s not just a big, strong guy up there hacking.
“And as a pitcher, he’s not just up there throwing 94. He can throw his off-speed pitches behind in the count; he throws three pitches for strikes; he can throw all three pitches to both right-handed and left-handed hitters.