
Growing up, Dirk Baker didn’t just play baseball — he studied it. He eagerly asked questions and talked strategy as a Boston U. student-athlete, soaking in any details that could give him an edge. That thirst for knowledge never faded. Now the Worcester State baseball coach for 22 years, Baker keeps a library of baseball books in his office, and penned several of his own. But perhaps the biggest testament to his lifelong study of the sport is his baseball IQ test.
Baker wanted to test student-athletes’ baseball smarts and arm them with knowledge to make wise decisions. “We’re always saying kids don’t know the game,” he says. “They play the game, but they don’t know the game.” So to teach them, the coach drafted a list of questions about baseball rules, strategy, advanced skills and history. The list started small but quickly ballooned. At times, Baker scribbled new nuggets on Post-It notes and napkins. The test now contains nearly 500 questions.
Realizing that other coaches might find the test useful, Baker published the first iteration in 2010 and began selling it as a fundraiser for Lancers baseball. Within his own program, the test proved to be a helpful learning tool. “When something happens in a game that’s covered in the IQ test, there’s always a guy that says, ‘IQ test!’” Baker says. “These are just little things, but they can decide ballgames. … You wouldn’t believe how we’ve won some games with just smarts.”
Baseball Intelligence Test
1. What’s the difference between obstruction and interference?
2. Why is baseball the only sport where coaches are required to wear uniforms?
3. Why shouldn’t a player slide into first base?
5. What pitch should be thrown after a batter pulls a fastball foul?
6. Why do umpires set up on the inside corner of home plate?