Orioles reliever Bryan Baker has taken his game to another level this year, giving the bullpen more depth.
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound right-hander has a 2.88 ERA this season with a 0.99 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 34.1 innings with Baltimore this season. He has turned into the primary setup man for closer Félix Bautista.
“A lot of having success as a reliever is just kind of getting on a roll and trying to maintain that,” Baker said on Glenn Clark Radio June 17. “I think I was pretty close the last couple of years in terms of finding that stride. I was just barely off, whether it be some inconsistencies or command or kind of losing feel for an off-speed pitch or losing fastball command or whatever it may be.”
Baker had a 5.01 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 23.1 innings with the Orioles in 2024. The 30-year-old believes his success this season stems from a multitude of improvements he made in the offseason.
“In the beginning of this offseason, I just tried to attack my weaknesses and try to become more well-rounded,” Baker said. “I think it was a combination of some physical stuff we did to ramp up earlier, try to come in and throw a little bit harder and throw more strikes. And then mentality-wise, it kind of shifted in that as well.”
Baker believes his early start to training in the offseason has been a big factor in his hot start this year. He began throwing hard earlier than usual.
“I’ve always been kind of a slower starter to the year,” Baker said. “I think a lot of times I come into spring training at like 93 to 96ish [mph] and kind of work my way up from there. But this year, I really wanted to come in and make sure I was ready to go from the jump and just see what I could do from that point of view.”
The season is starting to turn around for the Orioles after a rocky start. The club fired Brandon Hyde as manager in May and bottomed out at 16-34.
“The whole beginning of the season, we couldn’t really get anything going, and it was definitely a tough time,” Baker said. “I feel like we didn’t get one break. Whenever we would hit well, we wouldn’t pitch well, and whenever we would pitch well, we wouldn’t hit well, or vice versa. I mean, it was just so frustrating.”
In Baker’s opinion, starting pitching lasting longer in games and getting key pieces like Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg and Gary Sánchez back from injury are some of the key reasons for the turnaround. He also believes the bullpen has been having more success.
“I think the bullpen is just absolutely dialed in right now,” Baker said. “It’s just the little things coming together.”
Relievers like Gregory Soto and Seranthony Domínguez have been crucial for Baltimore’s success on the bump of late.
“And I think as a whole, the mindset is a very day-to-day mindset,” Baker said. “Just win the day and move on to the next day. And I think the vibes in the clubhouse have gotten better as the play has gotten better these last few weeks.”
For more from Baker, listen to the full interview here:
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