Dusty's boy back in the spotlight

NEW YORK - Darren Baker got scooped up by dad's team again.

The son of Washington manager Dusty Baker was drafted by the Nationals in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball draft on Wednesday - 15 years after he first made headlines on the diamond.

The younger Baker, now an 18-year-old speedy shortstop at Jesuit High School in California, was just 3 when he was a bat boy for the San Francisco Giants, managed by his father, in the 2002 World Series.

During Game 5 against the Angels, Darren ran to the plate to pick up a bat when J.T Snow scored - and David Bell was flying down the third-base line and heading home.

Snow quickly plucked the youngster out of harm's way, a moment that instantly became a part of World Series lore.

Darren Baker, who has a commitment to play at the University of California, hit .396 with a .476 on-base percentage as a senior.

The Nationals took two other players with familiar names: Penn right-hander Jake Cousins - cousin of Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins - in the 20th round, and California high school shortstop Jake Boone - son of former All-Star second baseman Bret Boone - in the 38th round.

Cousins was 7-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 11 starts this season for the Quakers, and his 20 career wins rank him third in program history.

"Congrats to my cousin, Jake, being drafted by the Nationals today!" Kirk wrote on Twitter. "There's room for another Cousins in DC!"

Detroit took Mississippi infielder Colby Bortles, the brother of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, in the 22nd round after the infielder hit .269 with a team-leading 10 homers and 42 RBIs.

The three-day draft concluded with 1,215 players selected over 40 rounds, but Oregon State left-hander Luke Heimlich was not among them.

The ace of College World Series-bound OSU asked to be excused from the team last weekend after a story detailing his criminal history was reported by The Oregonian/Oregon Live.

Fiver years ago, as a teenager, Heimlich pleaded guilty to molesting a 6-year-old girl.

Associated Press