Name: Andrew Baker
Position: RHP
Born: March 24, 2000
Country: US
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’3″ 190lbs
How Acquired: Drafted in the 11th Round of the 2021 Draft by the Phillies
Signed: July 17, 2021
Bonus: $200,000
Options Remaining: 3
Rule 5 Eligible: 2024
MiLB Free Agency: 2027
Stats
Pitcher Statcast
*Statcast data only available for FSL (2021-2023), AAA (2023), and isolated select games and locations.
| Pitch Type | Year | # of Pitches | Average Velocity | Max Velocity | Median Spin | VBreak | HBreak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Seam Fastball | 2021 | 165 | 96.2 | 99.1 | 2514 | 11 | -10 |
| 4-Seam Fastball | 2023 | 9 | 97.3 | 98.7 | 2417 | 14 | -8 |
| Sinker | 2021 | 31 | 95.6 | 97.6 | 2479 | 14 | -13 |
| Cutter | 2023 | 4 | 93.3 | 93.9 | 2119 | 25 | -5 |
| Changeup | 2021 | 3 | 86.3 | 87.9 | 1894 | 27 | -14 |
| Slider | 2021 | 13 | 82.2 | 84.6 | 2120 | 44 | 8 |
| Slider | 2023 | 15 | 84.0 | 85.4 | 2230 | 43 | 4 |
| Curveball | 2021 | 28 | 81.1 | 84.5 | 2103 | 48 | 8 |
Pitcher Tracking
*Pitch tracking data sourced from Statcast, broadcasts, and individual reports
| Pitch Type | Year | Velocity Low | Velocity High | Velocity Max | Games Tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FA | 2023 | 95 | 99 | 101 | 6 |
| FA | 2022 | 97 | 100 | 101 | 9 |
| FA | 2021 | 91 | 98 | 99 | 9 |
| FC | 2023 | 88 | 93 | 93 | 5 |
| CB | 2023 | 82 | 87 | 87 | 4 |
| CB | 2022 | 83 | 88 | 88 | 5 |
| CB | 2021 | 78 | 83 | 83 | 7 |
| CH | 2021 | 84 | 86 | 87 | 1 |
| SL | 2023 | 82 | 84 | 85 | 2 |
| SL | 2021 | 80 | 84 | 84 | 3 |
Prospect Rankings
Role: High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High – Baker will flash the ability to throw strikes for a few games or weeks, but has consistently reverted to walking everyone. His stuff is good enough to get high leverage outs, if he can ever locate it.
Summary: At the end of 2022, Baker looked to be putting the pieces together to throw strikes more consistently. He struggled to open 2023, eventually being sent back down to Florida to rework some things. That helped for a period of time, but issues once again popped in the last few weeks of the season. He was a mixed bag in the Arizona Fall League where he walked 6 in 7 innings, but he also only allowed 2 hits and struck out 13. Baker’s fastball will sit 96 to 99 and can touch 100-101, and he will show good life on it. His primary pitch for a while has been a power curveball in the mid 80s that he can use for chases. He has worked on a cutter/slider that has good potential and reportedly also has toyed with a splitter. The fastball and curveball are good enough on their own to get major league batters out, but the added weapons should help him keep batters off balance when his command isn’t there. The first step will be just getting the control to a place where he is consistently throwing strikes. If it only partially improves, Baker might just be an infuriating up and down reliever, but there is a chance he is a late inning weapon if he can put it all together.
2024 Outlook: Baker may return to Reading to open the season, due to the AAA bullpen being full of the 40 man relievers. At some point, he likely forces his way there. He is Rule 5 eligible after the season, so if he puts it all together there is no downside to the Phillies calling him up late in the year.
Role: High Leverage Reliever
Risk: Medium – It is less of a stretch to think about Baker consistently throwing strikes than it used to be. His fastball and curveball are major league ready right now, and he could be ready very soon.
Summary: The Phillies did not carry over much bonus pool to day 3 of the 2021 draft, so Baker at $200,000 was their biggest expenditure. Not the most experienced of pitchers, he showed big stuff in college, but also big control issues. It was the same in Clearwater last year, when he was up to 99 but walked more than he struck out. The beginning of 2022 was a lot of the same. Over the first 3 months, in his first 23 appearances, Baker went 22.2 IP 23 H 17 ER 18 BB 24 K. He kicked off July with another poor appearance before figuring something out in his delivery and running off a stretch of dominance. From that point on (including his 4 walks in his last two AA appearances), he went 30.2 IP 18 H 5 ER 11 BB 47 K.
It isn’t just the numbers with Baker, he backs it up with elite stuff. His fastball was sitting 97-99, touching up to 101, by the end of the year. It isn’t quite at the elite characteristics of Painter and McGarry, but has very good ride. His only secondary these days is a plus power curveball that sits 83-88. He has some definite similarities to Ken Giles, but his fastball is a bit more analytically friendly and his curveball is not quite where Giles’ slider was when he came up. The overall outcome of Baker’s development is not really a surprise in that it was likely to be a light switch going on rather than a linear growth. The surprise is that it happened so quickly.
2023 Outlook: Given he is off the 40 man roster and did not pitch very much in AA, Baker seems slated for Reading after his time in big league camp. The Phillies currently don’t have any obvious holes in the major league bullpen, but if Baker keeps on the path he ended 2022 on, he may force the Phillies hand at some point.
Role: High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High – Baker walked 12 batters per 9 in his pro debut, including 6 in a row in one appearance. He can run his fastball up to 99 and pairs it with a bat missing breaking ball.
Summary: The way the Phillies draft broke this year, Baker was the only Day 3 player they were able to go overslot for. Supposedly up to 96 in college, Baker was up to 99 in pro ball. It is the high spin, rising movement fastball the Phillies have valued of late. He does have a distinct two seam fastball, two breaking balls that look to blend together, and a changeup he threw 3 of. In a bullpen role it is likely to be simplified to the fastballs and a breaking ball. Baker has historically had control problems, and they seemed to crop up in spurts (he walked 10 batters and hit two across back to back appearances). He was able to get his delivery back under control to end the year on a strong note. Baker has a lot of the characteristics the Phillies have valued under Brian Barber, but in a more high octane package reminiscent of Ken Giles. If he can get his control in line, he could be a late inning relief arm.
2022 Outlook: Depending on how things shake out this spring, Baker could return to Clearwater or could be pushed aggressively to Jersey Shore. With his high end stuff and shaky command, his path is likely to be a bit of a slog until things click, at which point he could move quickly.
Role: High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High – Baker will flash the ability to throw strikes for a few games or weeks, but has consistently reverted to walking everyone. His stuff is good enough to get high leverage outs, if he can ever locate it.
Summary: At the end of 2022, Baker looked to be putting the pieces together to throw strikes more consistently. He struggled to open 2023, eventually being sent back down to Florida to rework some things. That helped for a period of time, but issues once again popped in the last few weeks of the season. He was a mixed bag in the Arizona Fall League where he walked 6 in 7 innings, but he also only allowed 2 hits and struck out 13. Baker’s fastball will sit 96 to 99 and can touch 100-101, and he will show good life on it. His primary pitch for a while has been a power curveball in the mid 80s that he can use for chases. He has worked on a cutter/slider that has good potential and reportedly also has toyed with a splitter. The fastball and curveball are good enough on their own to get major league batters out, but the added weapons should help him keep batters off balance when his command isn’t there. The first step will be just getting the control to a place where he is consistently throwing strikes. If it only partially improves, Baker might just be an infuriating up and down reliever, but there is a chance he is a late inning weapon if he can put it all together.
2024 Outlook: Baker may return to Reading to open the season, due to the AAA bullpen being full of the 40 man relievers. At some point, he likely forces his way there. He is Rule 5 eligible after the season, so if he puts it all together there is no downside to the Phillies calling him up late in the year.
Role: High Leverage Reliever
Risk: Medium – It is less of a stretch to think about Baker consistently throwing strikes than it used to be. His fastball and curveball are major league ready right now, and he could be ready very soon.
Summary: The Phillies did not carry over much bonus pool to day 3 of the 2021 draft, so Baker at $200,000 was their biggest expenditure. Not the most experienced of pitchers, he showed big stuff in college, but also big control issues. It was the same in Clearwater last year, when he was up to 99 but walked more than he struck out. The beginning of 2022 was a lot of the same. Over the first 3 months, in his first 23 appearances, Baker went 22.2 IP 23 H 17 ER 18 BB 24 K. He kicked off July with another poor appearance before figuring something out in his delivery and running off a stretch of dominance. From that point on (including his 4 walks in his last two AA appearances), he went 30.2 IP 18 H 5 ER 11 BB 47 K.
It isn’t just the numbers with Baker, he backs it up with elite stuff. His fastball was sitting 97-99, touching up to 101, by the end of the year. It isn’t quite at the elite characteristics of Painter and McGarry, but has very good ride. His only secondary these days is a plus power curveball that sits 83-88. He has some definite similarities to Ken Giles, but his fastball is a bit more analytically friendly and his curveball is not quite where Giles’ slider was when he came up. The overall outcome of Baker’s development is not really a surprise in that it was likely to be a light switch going on rather than a linear growth. The surprise is that it happened so quickly.
2023 Outlook: Given he is off the 40 man roster and did not pitch very much in AA, Baker seems slated for Reading after his time in big league camp. The Phillies currently don’t have any obvious holes in the major league bullpen, but if Baker keeps on the path he ended 2022 on, he may force the Phillies hand at some point.
Role: High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High – Baker walked 12 batters per 9 in his pro debut, including 6 in a row in one appearance. He can run his fastball up to 99 and pairs it with a bat missing breaking ball.
Summary: The way the Phillies draft broke this year, Baker was the only Day 3 player they were able to go overslot for. Supposedly up to 96 in college, Baker was up to 99 in pro ball. It is the high spin, rising movement fastball the Phillies have valued of late. He does have a distinct two seam fastball, two breaking balls that look to blend together, and a changeup he threw 3 of. In a bullpen role it is likely to be simplified to the fastballs and a breaking ball. Baker has historically had control problems, and they seemed to crop up in spurts (he walked 10 batters and hit two across back to back appearances). He was able to get his delivery back under control to end the year on a strong note. Baker has a lot of the characteristics the Phillies have valued under Brian Barber, but in a more high octane package reminiscent of Ken Giles. If he can get his control in line, he could be a late inning relief arm.
2022 Outlook: Depending on how things shake out this spring, Baker could return to Clearwater or could be pushed aggressively to Jersey Shore. With his high end stuff and shaky command, his path is likely to be a bit of a slog until things click, at which point he could move quickly.