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Dusty Baker

Biography

Dusty Baker

Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr. is the former manager of the Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals. Baker was drafted by the Atlanta Braves after graduating high school in 1967 and went on to win the World Series in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Baker retired as a player in 1986 and has since become one of the most celebrated managers in MLB history. He was the recipient of Baseball Digest’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.

Dusty Baker

Books by Dusty Baker

Crossroads: A Memoir in Baseball and Life
by Dusty Baker - Memoir, Nonfiction, Sports

Dusty Baker walked with baseball legends and became one himself. After he signed with the Braves in 1968 at the age of 19 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 and helped 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 to 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. CROSSROADS will bring readers into the mind of one of baseball’s mavericks.