Oh Fuck We're Old: The Nats Picked Darren Baker In The 10th Round, Aka The Kid JT Snow Saved In The 2002 World Series
NBC Sports - With the 293rd pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Nationals drafted Darren Baker, a Cal Berkley standout you may remember more infamously as the son of Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr., who at Game 5 of the 2002 World Series was a little too early gathering the Giants' bats.
Projected as high as the fifth round, Washington nabbed Darren in the 10th despite him coming off an All-Pac-12 First Team senior campaign in which he led all Bears with a .327 average as well as 28 stolen bases.
I know we do the "wanna feel old" troupe all the time, but this one was a gut punch. This one made me start checking out retirement homes in Boca. This one made me look up how to start collecting social security. This one made me start yelling at the youths to pull up their pants and turn down their music. Because Darren Baker, the kid whose life JT Snow saved in the 2002 World Series, was just drafted by the Nats. I mean, I was in high school when that happened, I have memories of it happening, and now that tiny child is a professional baseball player. Fucking WILD.
There's a few things like that which make me feel old as all hell, but nothing more than when players are drafted that were born in the 2000s. The dude just picked 3rd overall by the Tigers was born July 30, 2002. Kid can barely tie his own shoes for heaven's sake! Enema of the State came out 3 years before he was born!!!! That's the shit that wrecks me and makes me feel ancient.
Good on the Nats for bringing in the young Baker. Dusty brought us a World Series, and hopefully Darren does the same. Best of luck to Little Baker, would be awesome to see him make the show in a few years.