MLB legend Dusty Baker is heading to Nicaragua. How a joking request turned real
At quick glance, it wouldn’t appear Dusty Baker had much he had to do these days.
Baker, 76, seems an almost certain Baseball Hall of Fame selection when he becomes eligible for selection this fall. His 2,183 wins are eighth all-time among managers and he’s well-liked. When Baker won the 2022 World Series with the Houston Astros, a TV camera captured his players chanting, “Dusty! Dusty!”
If Baker wanted, he could just sit back and enjoy retirement on his multi-acre spread in Granite Bay. But that’s not him, as he explained on Saturday at the Giants FanFest Tour stop in West Sacramento at Sutter Health Park.
“Everybody thinks that you’re just supposed to sit around, do nothing,” said Baker, who last managed in the majors in 2023. “So it’s like, no, you’re needing to keep yourself busy. You get to stay young.”
Baker was in attendance Saturday in his capacity as a special adviser to the San Francisco Giants, though that’s not his only involvement in baseball these days. This Saturday, he will head to Nicaragua, where he will manage its national team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, to be held March 5-17.
How Baker became manager for Nicaragua’s team
Marvin Benard, who played eight seasons with Baker as his manager on the Giants, lives in Auburn in retirement. It’s around 25 minutes from Baker’s home. They got together for dinner, Benard said, after Nicaraguan basketball player Norchad Omier expressed an interest in meeting Baker.
Omier had been in Rancho Cordova ahead of last year’s NBA Draft to work with Guss Armstead, a popular basketball trainer and father of Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead. Omier’s enthusiasm for baseball was no secret. Guss Armstead said that Omier “told me he was a baseball guy and then he transitioned to basketball.”
At the dinner, Benard, who was born in Nicaragua, proposed an idea to Baker: managing Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic. Baker initially shot Benard a quizzical look. After Benard clarified it was indeed possible for Baker to accept this job, Baker started giggling.
“He said, ‘Give me a couple of days. Let me think about it,’” Benard said.
Omier said he also encouraged Baker to take job. “I mean, he’s Dusty Baker,” Omier said. “I told him that he would probably bring so much experience to the team.”
Benard became a long-term starting outfielder for the Giants after being selected in the 50th round of the 1992 draft and receiving a $1,000 signing bonus. He isn’t one to let long odds deter him.
“We started working on his wife, Melissa, showing her pictures and trying to convince her,” Benard said.
Benard said that Melissa Baker told him the pictures were beautiful and that she was interested in visiting Nicaragua. Two days later, Dusty Baker called Benard and said he was in.
“It all started off kind of like as a joke,” Benard said. “I never thought he would say, ‘Yeah.’”
Who’s playing in World Baseball Classic?
It wasn’t a hard decision for Jacque Jones to be a part of Dusty Baker’s coaching staff for Team Nicaragua.
Jones, who played for Baker in 2006 when he managed the Chicago Cubs, said he adores Baker, respects him and appreciates everything Baker had done for him.
It also wasn’t surprising to Jones that Baker would be managing a team in Nicaragua. Nothing that Baker does surprises Jones. He also is aware of Baker’s love for baseball and the pull the game has on him.
“I know the fire for him to manage, be on the field and be a part of that is always going to itch inside of him,” Jones said. “And just a six-week spurt, it’s just perfect for him.”
Like Baker, Jones will fly down to Nicaragua on Saturday. Others on the staff include Randall Simon, who also played for Baker on the Cubs.
Benard, who spoke to The Bee from Managua, said he’d already been down in Nicaragua, helping train the team as a hitting instructor.
Members of the Nicaraguan team include Erasmo Ramirez, a 14-year MLB veteran and current free agent; former Kansas City Royals third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert; and JC Ramirez, who pitched for five teams over a six-season career.
The Nicaraguan team might face tough odds against bigger-name competition. Aaron Judge highlights a star-studded roster for Team USA. Shohei Ohtani is playing for Japan.
But in Baker, Team Nicaragua will get a manager known for his personability. Omier was struck by how Baker treated him in their meeting at the dinner. “I felt like I knew him forever,” said Omier, who now plays in the NBA G League for the Cleveland Charge.
Baker’s approach with players is also straightforward.
“He just wants you to show up on time and play hard,” Benard said. “That’s it. Just give me the best you got.”
