Quiet off the field, Baker brings fire on the mound as Rays' closer

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ST. PETERSBURG -- As Trevor Larnach’s ground ball bounced toward the right side of the infield, Bryan Baker darted off the mound toward first base. Jonathan Aranda cleanly fielded the ball and flipped it to Baker, who stopped just short of the bag.

Crouched in an athletic position, Baker snagged Aranda’s underhand toss, lifted his right foot and emphatically stomped it down on the base. The bearded Baker turned toward Tampa Bay’s dugout, flexed both arms and let out a celebratory shout as he sealed the Rays’ 6-2 win over the Twins at Tropicana Field.

Pairing that fiery competitiveness with two dominant pitches has made Baker into one of the Majors’ top closers over the first month of the season. Which is pretty funny, when you consider that the 31-year-old right-hander is as mild-mannered as they come in the clubhouse -- and the Rays didn’t plan to have a traditional closer this season.

“At first, it's jarring, because it's just not how he is off the field,” reliever Kevin Kelly said. “But it's awesome seeing it, because you know you can put him in any situation and he's just going to compete and probably come out on top.”

That’s been the case more often than not this season. In 15 appearances, Baker has posted a 2.63 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 15 strikeouts and only three walks in 13 2/3 innings. He’s earned nine saves, tied for second-most in the Majors, and the Rays have gone 14-1 when he pitches.

Baker had some ups and downs after joining the Rays in an early July trade with the Orioles last year, but he quickly found a home at the back end of their bullpen this season.

“We've always seen the stuff, and he kind of picks up that demeanor when he crosses the line,” lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger said. “Like, he really flips the switch, and he kind of becomes someone that you don't really want to mess with out there.”

Baker said that late-inning energy “comes naturally,” especially when it’s accompanied by the adrenaline that takes hold after escaping high-leverage situations. It’s not necessarily limited to the ninth, either. This is, after all, the same guy who occasionally “moonwalked” off the mound as a setup man for the Orioles.

“You kind of realize everything you're working for is exactly for this moment, and it's like you know you need to bear down and execute a pitch,” Baker said. “I think it just comes out when it needs to.”

When the Rays cut ties with former closer Pete Fairbanks last November, they expected to take a sort of leverage-by-committee approach in the bullpen. The plan was built around the idea of four late-inning relievers handling the most important situations.

Then Edwin Uceta showed up to Spring Training with a sore shoulder. Then Cleavinger injured his calf and only just returned after missing all of April. Then Griffin Jax struggled and, more recently, moved out of Tampa Bay’s bullpen and into the rotation.

The last man standing was Baker, who has become the backbone of a bullpen that entered Tuesday night having allowed just one run in its last 26 1/3 innings.

“It's no surprise, just with his makeup. We saw that last year, like some of the intensity that he brings every time that he touches the mound,” pitching coach Kyle Snyder said. “I think it fits well, certainly in that ninth inning.”

Baker’s stuff plays pretty well with the game on the line, too.

He leans heavily on a four-seam fastball that’s averaged 96.7 mph this season. The biggest change has been the increased usage of his changeup. He threw his best offspeed offering 27.9% of the time last season, and that’s jumped to 45.5% this year entering Monday, with his slider taking a backseat to the change.

It’s a nasty weapon, coming in about 12 mph slower than his fastball, and it has generated a 42.9 percent whiff rate with an average exit velocity of 78.8 mph. According to Statcast, it’s been the third-best changeup in baseball this season on a per-pitch basis.

“When he's throwing strikes and getting ahead, not many people are going to do well against him,” Kelly said.

Baker said the changeup has always been his “out” pitch, but it’s taken time and reps to trust it the way he does now. He tweaked his grip two days before Spring Training started last year, and he’s found it to be much more repeatable and consistent since then. He has the confidence to throw it in any count, and he’s not afraid to throw it over the plate.

“The more the hitter's on the defensive, the better off we are, undoubtedly,” Baker said. “Getting ahead (in the count) is a huge part of it, and really trusting the speed differential and not being like, 'I really have to throw this in a perfect spot.' It's like, ‘No, I just threw 97 (mph) and this is going to come off of it.’ Even if it's right down the middle, it's going to be hard to hit.”