Andrew Baker

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #27 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Baker was a catcher in high school but converted to pitching in college. He spent the 2019 and 2021 seasons at Chipola (Fla.) JC sandwiched around six games at Auburn in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Phillies gambled on his arm strength in 2021 and have spent his career trying to mold him into a pitcher.
  
  Scouting Report: Baker’s signature is his fastball, which sits between 97-100 mph and can touch a few ticks higher. The pitch is straight, however, and he doesn’t command it well. That equation leads to more contact than would be expected against that velocity. He complements the fastball with two breaking balls: a sweeper slider in the mid 80s and a power curveball a couple of ticks slower. Baker doesn’t throw with much finesse at this point and the slider will sometimes morph into more of a cutter. He doesn’t throw nearly enough strikes to get the most out of his stuff, and will likely never have better than 30-grade control.
  
  The Future: Baker is the kind of pitcher who will get plenty of chances because of the flashes of brilliance he’ll show every now and again. If he can become more of a pitcher and less of a thrower, his stock will jump.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 55 | Control: 30
• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #11 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Baker was a catcher in high school who converted to pitching as a freshman at Chipola (Fla.) JC, and after striking out 92 batters in 57.1 innings in 2021 the Phillies drafted him in the 11th round. He struggled in a 2021 pro debut mostly spent at Low-A Clearwater, but showed an electric arsenal at High-A Jersey Shore in 2022 en route to receiving a promotion to Double-A Reading, where he closed the season with six appearances.
  
  Scouting Report: Baker has a dominant two-pitch mix, and after maxing out at around 96 mph in 2021, he now averages 98 mph on his fastball and tops out at 101 mph, with above-average spin. Although his fastball is an impressive offering, his curveball is his best pitch, and generated whiffs over 62% of the time during the 2022 season. It's a true swing-and-miss offering that sat just under 84 mph and topped out at 87.4 mph, with heavy, two-plane break. He struggled to command both pitches to begin the 2022 season, but members of the organization felt he improved his command, as well as his strike-throwing and mound presence, as the year progressed.
  
  The Future: Some opposing evaluators are skeptical of Baker's ability to throw enough strikes long term to be anything more than an up/down emergency reliever, but he made improvements this season and has the stuff to profile as a lockdown closer. He'll likely begin the 2023 season back at Double-A Reading.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 70. Control: 40.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #393 prospect in 2021 draft
  Baker has had an interesting path the last few years. He was drafted out of Chipola (Fla.) JC by the Dodgers in the 16th round in 2019, but opted to not sign and instead went to Auburn, where he made six relief appearances and struggled to a 9.53 ERA in the shortened 2020 season. After that, Baker bounced back to Chipola, where he has once again shown scouts impressive stuff out of his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame, but with below-average control. Baker sat in the 92-94 mph range this spring and ran his fastball up to 96 mph, and he flashed two breaking balls that both showed potential but lacked consistency. He’s also thrown a changeup infrequently. Baker pitched to a 3.45 ERA over 57.1 innings, with 92 strikeouts (14.4 K/9) and 34 walks (5.3 BB/9). He is a South Carolina commit.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Baker was a catcher in high school who converted to pitching as a freshman at Chipola (Fla.) JC, and after striking out 92 batters in 57.1 innings in 2021 the Phillies drafted him in the 11th round. He struggled in a 2021 pro debut mostly spent at Low-A Clearwater, but showed an electric arsenal at High-A Jersey Shore in 2022 en route to receiving a promotion to Double-A Reading, where he closed the season with six appearances.
  
  Scouting Report: Baker has a dominant two-pitch mix, and after maxing out at around 96 mph in 2021, he now averages 98 mph on his fastball and tops out at 101 mph, with above-average spin. Although his fastball is an impressive offering, his curveball is his best pitch, and generated whiffs over 62% of the time during the 2022 season. It's a true swing-and-miss offering that sat just under 84 mph and topped out at 87.4 mph, with heavy, two-plane break. He struggled to command both pitches to begin the 2022 season, but members of the organization felt he improved his command, as well as his strike-throwing and mound presence, as the year progressed.
  
  The Future: Some opposing evaluators are skeptical of Baker's ability to throw enough strikes long term to be anything more than an up/down emergency reliever, but he made improvements this season and has the stuff to profile as a lockdown closer. He'll likely begin the 2023 season back at Double-A Reading.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 70. Control: 40.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Baker was a catcher in high school who converted to pitching as a freshman at Chipola (Fla.) JC, and after striking out 92 batters in 57.1 innings in 2021 the Phillies drafted him in the 11th round. He struggled in a 2021 pro debut mostly spent at Low-A Clearwater, but showed an electric arsenal at High-A Jersey Shore in 2022 en route to receiving a promotion to Double-A Reading, where he closed the season with six appearances.
  
  Scouting Report: Baker has a dominant two-pitch mix, and after maxing out at around 96 mph in 2021, he now averages 98 mph on his fastball and tops out at 101 mph, with above-average spin. Although his fastball is an impressive offering, his curveball is his best pitch, and generated whiffs over 62% of the time during the 2022 season. It's a true swing-and-miss offering that sat just under 84 mph and topped out at 87.4 mph, with heavy, two-plane break. He struggled to command both pitches to begin the 2022 season, but members of the organization felt he improved his command, as well as his strike-throwing and mound presence, as the year progressed.
  
  The Future: Some opposing evaluators are skeptical of Baker's ability to throw enough strikes long term to be anything more than an up/down emergency reliever, but he made improvements this season and has the stuff to profile as a lockdown closer. He'll likely begin the 2023 season back at Double-A Reading.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 70. Control: 40.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/Extreme
  
  Midseason Update: Baker, a 2021 11th-rounder out of Chipola (Fla.) JC has a fastball that sits in the upper 90s and routinely tops out in the triple digits to go with a hard slider. Baker is an inexperienced arm who&#39s struggled to throw strikes, but he has the ceiling of a high-leverage reliever if he learns to consistently harness his mix.