John "Dusty" Baker, Jr. (born June 15, 1949) is an American Major League Baseball manager and former player. He is currently the manager for the Washington Nationals. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, primarily with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped the Dodgers to pennants in 1977 and 1978 and to the championship in 1981. He then enjoyed a 20-year career as a manager with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds. He led the Giants to the 2002 National League pennant and also reached the playoffs with the Cubs and Reds.

Playing career

Baker was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1967 amateur draft out of Del Campo High School near Sacramento, California. (Baker was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section's Hall of Fame class in 2010 for his play at Del Campo.)

Baker began his major league baseball career as an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves in 1968. As a Brave, Baker earned a spot as a footnote in history. On April 8, 1974, he was on deck when Hank Aaron hit home run 715 to pass Babe Ruth in career home runs.