Swoop! Former UNF pitcher Bryan Baker chosen for MLB All-Star Game

Midway through a career year on the mound, Bryan Baker is swooping to the All-Star Game.

>The Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher, a former standout at the University of North Florida, was selected July 4 to the American League team for Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. He becomes the first player in Ospreys history to receive the call for the Midsummer Classic.

>In his first season as the Rays' closer, Baker concluded the weekend in second in the majors with 23 saves, behind only Cade Smith (26 saves) of the Cleveland Guardians.

>Baker has pitched in 36 games this season with a 1-0 record, a 1.83 ERA, 37 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings and an 0.82 WHIP. Opposing batters are hitting only .143 against him.

>He is among four Tampa Bay selections, with third baseman Junior Caminero, pitcher Drew Rasmussen and designated hitter Yandy Diaz.

>The All-Star Game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, with Fox broadcasting the event.

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Bryan Baker's road to the All-Star GameA 31-year-old from Fort Walton Beach who played at Choctawhatchee High School before his UNF days, Baker has seen his career rise to new heights this year.

>The 6-6, 235-pound Baker was an 11th-round draft selection (No. 320 overall) of the Colorado Rockies in 2016, working his way through the minor leagues for more than five years before his MLB debut on Sept. 5, 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays.

>He then spent portions for four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, pitching 173 games mostly in middle relief, before joining the Rays in a July 2025 trade.

>After closer Pete Fairbanks left Tampa Bay for the Miami Marlins in free agency during the winter, Baker won the closer job in the season's first weeks and has helped the Rays' rise to first place in the AL East.

>At UNF, Baker pitched from 2014-16, leading the ASUN Conference with a 2.27 earned run average in 2016 and earning first-team All-ASUN. He finished 14-10 with a 3.67 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 42 games during his Ospreys career.

>This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Swoop! Former UNF pitcher Bryan Baker chosen for MLB All-Star Game