Rangers agree to terms with INF/OF Jeff Baker and LHP Nate Robertson

The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has agreed to terms with infielder/outfielder Jeff Baker and left-handed pitcher Nate Robertson on minor league contracts with invitations to major league spring training.

Baker, 31, has spent the last 8 seasons in the major leagues.  In 2012, he combined to hit .239 (45-188) with 4 home runs and 25 RBI in 83 games with Chicago-NL, Detroit, and Atlanta.  He has a career .266 average with 37 home runs and 178 RBI over 543 games with the Rockies (2005-09), Cubs (2009-12), Detroit (2012), and Atlanta (2012).  Against left-handed pitchers, Baker has compiled a slash line of .296/.344/.498.

He was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2002 June draft by Colorado, and his only career postseason action came with the Rockies in 2007.  He established career highs with 12 home runs, 48 RBI, and 22 doubles with Colorado in 2008, his only season with more than 100 games played.  Baker has 5 career pinch-hit home runs and has made big league starts at second base (79), third base (41), first base (36), and the outfield (19)

Robertson, 35, pitched in 23 games/2 starts for Iowa (Cubs AAA) and Las Vegas (Blue Jays AAA) last year, and also made 3 starts for the independent Wichita Wingnuts.  He last pitched in the big leagues in 2010 and has a career 57-77 record with a 5.01 ERA (642 ER/1152.1 IP) in 223 games/187 games in the majors with Florida (2002), Detroit (2003-09), Florida (2010), and Philadelphia (2010).

With the addition of Baker and Robertson, the Rangers now have 59 players on the club's spring training roster: a full 40-man roster and 19 non-roster invites