Bryan Baker (baseball)

1.1. High School and College

Baker grew up in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where he attended Choctawhatchee High School. There, he was a notable athlete, excelling in both baseball and basketball. In the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 40th round (1199th overall pick), but he chose not to sign, opting instead to pursue a collegiate baseball career.

He played college baseball for the North Florida Ospreys for three seasons. As a junior, he was recognized as a first-team All-Atlantic Sun Conference player after achieving a 6-4 record and leading the conference with a 2.27 ERA while recording 80 strikeouts. Over his entire collegiate career, Baker compiled an overall record of 14-10 with a 3.67 ERA and 144 strikeouts. In 2015, he further honed his skills by playing collegiate summer baseball for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

2.1. Colorado Rockies (2016-2018)

Baker was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 11th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft, marking the start of his professional career. After signing with the team, he was assigned to the Rookie league Grand Junction Rockies. For the 2017 season, Baker played with the Single-A Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League. It was during this period that he transitioned to a bullpen role. In 26 appearances, including 2 starts, he posted an impressive 7-2 record with a 1.66 ERA. He began the 2018 season playing for the High-A Lancaster JetHawks.

2.2. Toronto Blue Jays (2018-2021)

On August 14, 2018, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Bryan Baker as the player to be named later to complete a trade involving Seung-hwan Oh. Following the trade, the Blue Jays assigned him to the High-A Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League, where he recorded a 2.84 ERA across six appearances.

In 2019, Baker started the season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats before being promoted to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. With the Bisons, he registered a 1-1 record and a 3.68 ERA, accumulating 31 strikeouts over 22 innings pitched. The 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing Baker from playing in a game that year; however, he was assigned to the Blue Jays' Alternate Training Site for development. He returned to the Buffalo Bisons to begin the 2021 minor league season, where he excelled as a reliever, appearing in 39 games and compiling a 6-1 record with 11 saves and an outstanding 1.31 ERA.

On September 1, 2021, Baker was added to the 40-man roster and received his first promotion to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut on September 5, pitching a scoreless inning against the Oakland Athletics and recording one strikeout. This was his only major league appearance for the Blue Jays.

2.3. Baltimore Orioles (2021-present)

On November 8, 2021, Bryan Baker was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.

On April 23, 2022, Baker earned his first career MLB win in a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Later that season, on September 6, after surrendering two hits and a run to the Toronto Blue Jays, he initiated a benches-clearing scrum by staring at the Blue Jays dugout and making a distinctive hand puppet-like gesture with his right hand. On the final day of the 2022 season, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Blue Jays, Baker pitched a scoreless ninth inning to secure his first career save. For the 2022 season, Baker posted a 4-3 record with a 3.49 ERA over 66 appearances for the Orioles.

In 2023, Baker made 46 appearances out of the bullpen for Baltimore, finishing with a 4-3 record and a 3.60 ERA, along with 51 strikeouts across 45 innings pitched. He began the 2024 season after being optioned to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. During the 2024 season, he made 19 appearances, holding a 1-1 record and a 5.01 ERA over 23.1 innings pitched, with 23 strikeouts.

4.1. Pitching statistics

4.2. Fielding statistics