IP 121
ERA 5.504
WHIP 1.463
BB/9 4.24
SO/9 7.364
  • Full name Joshua H. Baker
  • Born 04/02/1982 in Houston, TX
  • Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
  • School Rice
  • Drafted in the 4th round (106th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2004 (signed for $320,000).
    View Draft Report
    Jeff Niemann, Phil Humber and Wade Townsend command most of the attention, but Rice has a fourth pitcher who will go in the early rounds of the 2004 draft. A 2001 fourth-round choice by the Rangers, Baker was drafted well ahead of all of them coming out of high school. He hasn't improved as much as they have, but he's still plenty attractive as a 6-foot-5, 210-pounder with an 88-92 mph fastball, hard slider and good splitter. His control wavers but Baker is tough to beat when he gets ahead in the count. He spent his freshman year at Alabama and has gone 17-2 since transferring back home. Undrafted because of signability concerns as a sophomore-eligible in 2003, Baker should go in about the same area he did three years ago. And he does have one edge over the Owls' aces: bloodlines. His father Johnny was an NFL linebacker, his uncle Frank was a big league infielder and his brother Jacob was an outfielder at Rice and in the Royals system. Baker also is the brother-in-law of Astros star Lance Berkman, another former Owl.

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