For the second time in a week, a Danville Dan has made his MLB debut. First it was Alfonso Rivas debuting with the Cubs, and now relief pitcher Bryan Baker tossed a scoreless 8th inning Sunday for the Toronto Blue Jays in their win against the Oakland A’s. Baker struck out one and allowed one hit during his inning.
Baker was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 11th Round of the 2016 draft as a junior out of North Florida. He was traded to the Blue Jays organization in 2018 and has been at Triple-A Buffalo since July 2019. He’s also spent time on the alternate training site roster the last two years before finally being listed on the big leagues roster on September 1.
Baker was on the 2014 Danville Dans roster and was named a mid-season All-Star in the Prospect League. He becomes the 31st Danville Dan to put on a major league uniform.
Danville Dans managing partner Jeanie Cooke says Baker came to the Dans from a very good source.
AUDIO: Well we’re thrilled for Bryan Baker. A great young man, very good pitcher; tall, strong, had a fastball that would zing by most players. So we’re very happy for Bryan, very happy for his family, and very happy for his coach Smoke LaValle. He sent us Bryan from North Florida and later many players from LSU, so it’s a coach we’ve worked with for many years.
At Triple-A this season, prior to his call up, Baker had appeared in 33 games, achieving a 4-1 record with nine saves. With 40 strikeouts, just 16 walks, and a 1.32 ERA.
