HOUSTON — As Ralph Garr remembers it, the kid from Sacramento could have made it big in any sport. The Atlanta Braves chose Johnnie B. Baker Jr., known as Dusty, out of high school in the 26th round of the 1967 draft. They knew he had options, but they also had a secret weapon.
“Dusty could have made the major leagues in football, basketball or baseball, and I don’t think he cared as much about baseball,” said Garr, a third-round draft choice that year. “But Dusty was drafted by the Braves, and Henry Aaron called his mother and said he’d take care of him.