usty Baker walked with baseball legends and became one himself. After he signed with the Braves in 1968 at the age of nineteen against his father’s wishes, no less than the great Hank Aaron promised to take Baker under his wing.
Mentored by Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, and Willie Mays, Baker became a premier hitter, helping take the Dodgers to a World Series victory in 1981. He would bookend this with another championship in 2022, this time as a manager helping guide and redeem a Houston Astros team humbled by a cheating scandal.
Respected by generations across the game, Baker has come to embody the spirit of the sport—and yet, to discuss his baseball career is only to scratch the surface of a remarkable life.
Crossroads will bring readers into the mind of one of baseball’s mavericks: a curious, inquisitive thinker whose deep interest in the worlds of music, wine, and the simpler joys of life charts a journey of success, struggle, faith, and perseverance. Baker’s memoir is filled with hard-earned wisdom and a love for life so plentiful, it seems to radiate from every sentence.
A true American original, counting among his friends presidents and dignitaries, bluesmen and artists, Baker weaves a spell of life at the crossroads, where fate turns on our decisions and the unexpected answers that sometimes seek us out when we least expect it.
“They have been asking me to write a book about my life for several years, and now that I am retired I figured I would give it a try.” Baker continued, “This book allowed me to appreciate my journey and hopefully other people will appreciate it too.”
Baker has had an amazing life. Starting in his teens, the standout athlete always knew he wanted to play professional sports.
Baker excelled in baseball, basketball, football, and track at Del Campo High School in Carmichael, California; and he was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Hall of Fame class in 2010 for his play at Del Campo. He was offered a basketball scholarship by Santa Clara University. His father was so committed to his son going to college that he told scouts that his son would go to college and play either football or basketball, so they wouldn’t waste a draft pick on Baker. The one baseball scout who saw something in Baker was Bill Wight, who knew that Baker’s father and mother had gone through a divorce that worried Baker about being a potential burden to his parents.
“My best sport is basketball and I thought that was going to be my oath,” Baker said.
He was recruited to play basketball in college, but the opportunity to make money and immediately become a professional baseball player was more appealing to him.
“Hank Aaron told me that he would look out for me if I decided to play baseball, so I went into the draft,” Baker said.
Baker wanted to stay in the North to play baseball but was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. With it being 1968,?/ Baker knew that living in the South meant that he would have to deal with racism and all the things that went with it.
However, when he got to Atlanta he was brought under the wing of Andrew Young and several other people and those people would make his life in Atlanta possible and fun.
Baker played in MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers. During his Dodgers tenure, he was a two-time All-Star, won two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove Award, and became the first NLCS MVP, which he received for his performance during the 1977 National League Championship Series.
He also made three World Series appearances and was a member of the 1981 World Series championship team. Outside of the Dodgers, Baker played for the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics.
After retiring as a player, Baker served as the manager of the Giants from 1993 to 2002, the Chicago Cubs from 2003 to 2006, the Cincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2013, the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2017, and the Houston Astros from 2020 to 2023.
Baker was named NL Manager of the Year three times with the Giants and won the 2022 World Series with the Astros.
He was also the first MLB manager to reach the playoffs and win a division title with five different teams, having accomplished both feats with each team he managed.
Baker ranks seventh in MLB managerial wins and has the most wins among African-American managers. Following his retirement as a manager, Baker joined the Giants’ front office. He was also named the manager of Team Nicaragua for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Today Baker is enjoying retirement and spending time with his grandkids. He travels the country speaking and working with various organizations to discuss the history of baseball and life itself.
“I love being retired and I love the fact that I get to spend as much time as I want with my family and grandkids,” Baker said.
An incredible life celebrated by taking every moment.
