1971 Profile: Frank Baker

"He's a major league fielder - the only question is his hitting. Frank batted .257 at Syracuse, where he was the International League's All-Star shortstop and had a .239 average in a brief trial with the Yankees. He has a fine opportunity this year since the incumbent, Gene Michael, will be 33 in June and doesn't hit much either. He has a lot of range and graceful movements, not unlike Mark Belanger.
'Baker has soft hands,' Ralph Houk says. 'The ball just melts in his glove.'
A former basketball at Southern Mississippi in his home state, Frank was born in Meridian on October 29, 1946."

-Joe Gergen, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1971 Edition

"Glowing scouting reports on Syracuse's International League All-Star shortstop Frank Baker were proved accurate last August when, with Gene Michael and Ron Hansen both disabled, the young infielder made his debut in a long, tough doubleheader with the Orioles. In the second game he had a single and a triple. In his third game, he had three hits, his first two RBIs and a stolen base.
'He certainly performed like a major leaguer in his first three games,' said Ralph Houk. 'There was nothing to fault him on. Frank made all the plays in the field and showed he could wait for his pitch.'
Baker had earlier shown himself to be an outstanding shortstop with an improving bat. In his Yankee preview year he hit a very creditable .231 and convinced the Yankees that their high hopes for him to become a great Yankee shortstop were well-founded.
Frank, a native of Meridian, Mississippi, was the father of twins last year. In the off-season, he worked for his father's oil company."

-The New York Yankees Official 1971 Yearbook

"Long regarded as the Yankees' top shortstop prospect, Frank was the International League's All-Star shortstop in 1970. He reached the parent club last year on August 7 when he was recalled from Syracuse to replace the injured Ron Hansen who was placed on the disabled list with a pulled left hamstring muscle. Baker got off to a great start at the plate collecting five hits in his first ten at-bats. He appeared in 35 games with the Yanks, mostly alternating with Gene Michael at short.
Baker has all the tools of a major league shortstop: good speed, a quick and strong arm, range and good hands. Only his hitting has been suspect to date; however, Frank has improved each year in this department.
A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, he works in his father's oil company during the off-season. His hobbies are hunting and golf. His brother John was a linebacker for Houston and San Diego (1963-67) in the American Football League."

-1971 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide