Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr.is an American Major League Baseball manager and former player. He is currently the manager for the Washington Nationals. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, primarily with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped the Dodgers to pennants in 1977 and 1978 and to the championship in 1981. He then enjoyed a 20-year career as a manager with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and now Washington Nationals. He...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth15 June 1949
CityRiverside, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I haven't been in this position in years. I'll mix and match and do what we can because we owe it to ourselves and to the fans to try to win. September is around the corner. We'll call up some people, though we don't know who yet.
It reminds me of old Busch without being closed in. Even though it looks different, it still reminds me of a mini-Busch. I like the amenities that come with it. We don't have to share the weight room, we have our own cage. This is what the new ballparks have. We have a large training area and large locker room.
He's lost some valuable time and he's lost some valuable experience in there. We don't know if he's quite back to where he was before, even though he's throwing the ball very good.
When you're not scoring runs, you're always trying to find a way. Jacque knows he messed up, though it doesn't matter now.
He needs to pitch. Even though he has the skill and ability, he needs the innings. He needs to be in certain situations. He's missed more than a couple years here on and off. He needs the endurance. He needs to be in there with bases loaded with no outs and be in all kinds of situations and adverse situations. The main thing is we want him healthy, too.
I never asked him. I asked other guys and they all said, 'No.' I didn't ask Barry. If you've ever been around Barry, Barry's his own man.
I'm sure there is no miracle drug that's going to make it go away right away.
I'm sure he'd like to end the year pitching, knowing Woody. If we can get him in there, we'll try to do that.
I'm sure something will work out for him. I certainly don't think he's through. Injuries have hurt him the last couple of years. I'm hoping he gets a job.
I mean the guy, he's progressing like we said. Mark's going good. I asked him. I get tired of asking how he's doing, actually. And I'm sure he's tired of answering the questions himself.
I like our tandem. Henry has helped Michael a lot.
I like his speed and his attitude, and he switch-hits and plays all three outfield positions. He asks good questions. He's hungry to learn.
I like his approach. Anybody who can hit the ball up the middle and to the opposite field is going to hit. He'll learn how to hit with power. If he can hit balls to right field, he has power.
I'm looking for health, I'm looking for bat speed, I'm looking for leg speed. It's hard to compare a youngster to a veteran player in Spring Training. The advantage always goes to the young player. There are some things I'm looking for. You want to see progress as spring goes on. I've got a pretty good idea of what he can do. I'm looking for what's left.