Delmer David Baker (May 3, 1892 – September 11, 1973) was an American catcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. As a manager he led the 1940 Detroit Tigers to the American League pennant. As a coach, he was known as one of the premier "sign stealers" in baseball.
Born in Sherwood, Oregon, and raised in neighboring Wilsonvile, Baker played extensively in the minor leagues. He did appear in 172 major-league games over three seasons (1914...
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Delmer David Baker (May 3, 1892 – September 11, 1973) was an American catcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. As a manager he led the 1940 Detroit Tigers to the American League pennant. As a coach, he was known as one of the premier "sign stealers" in baseball.
Born in Sherwood, Oregon, and raised in neighboring Wilsonvile, Baker played extensively in the minor leagues. He did appear in 172 major-league games over three seasons (1914-16) with the Tigers, batting .209 with no home runs and 22 RBI. After managing Detroit's Texas League farm team, the Beaumont Exporters, to 100 victories and the 1932 championship, Baker was named a Tigers coach under Bucky Harris for 1933. He remained in that role under new playing manager Mickey Cochrane when the Tigers won back-to-back AL pennants in 1934-35, and their first ever World Series title in 1935.
Baker, as Detroit's "senior coach," took over as acting manager three times: in 1933, when Harris was fired at the end of the season,...
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