PITTSBURGH -- The Giants have infused their farm system with famous bloodlines this year.
They selected outfielder Peyton Bonds, the nephew of legendary slugger Barry Bonds, in the third round of the 2026 MLB Draft in July. A few weeks later, they acquired infielder Kaeden Kent, the son of Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, from the Yankees as part of the Heliot Ramos trade.
Now, they’re close to bringing another legacy player into the mix.
The Giants are finalizing a Minor League contract with infielder Darren Baker, the son of former San Francisco manager Dusty Baker, according to a report from NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic.
The deal, which is pending a medical review, has not been confirmed by the club.
Baker, a 27-year-old second baseman, will reportedly join Triple-A Sacramento, which could put him in the mix for a September callup with the club that his father managed for 10 seasons from 1993-2002.
The younger Baker already has one iconic moment in a Giants uniform, as he was famously scooped up at home plate by J.T. Snow during Game 5 of the 2002 World Series against the Angels.
Baker, who was a 3-year-old bat boy at the time, ran home to retrieve a bat after Kenny Lofton tripled off the right-field wall, but he quickly found himself in peril after accidentally rushing into oncoming traffic at the plate.
After scoring from third, Snow alertly grabbed the young Baker by his jacket to save him from a possible collision with David Bell, who also came charging home from second on the play. The incident prompted Major League Baseball to institute the “Darren Baker rule,” which requires all bat boys and bat girls to be a minimum of 14 years old.
A 10th-round Draft pick of the Nationals in 2021, Baker broke into the big leagues in ’24, when he went 7-for-14 over nine games with Washington. The Cal alum joined the White Sox on a Minor League deal over the offseason, but he appeared in only 11 games with Triple-A Charlotte due to injury. He batted .206 with a .583 OPS over 34 at-bats before he was released on July 31.
Baker is poised to become the second member of his family to be employed by the Giants, as Dusty has been working as a special advisor to president of baseball operations Buster Posey since 2024.