[3] Baker made his debut for Manawatu in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup competition, coming on as a replacement against Auckland in a Ranfurly Shield match.

[5] Returning to Manawatu for the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup, Baker scored three tries, the province's second top try scorer of the year along with three fellow players.

He also was suspended from all rugby for eight weeks after allegedly verbally abusing assistant referee Zarne Johnson in a competition match between Hawke's Bay and Manawatu.

[7] A stress fracture in his back – which he suffered in Delhi winning gold at the Commonwealth Games – had ruled Baker out of all rugby for three months.

[15] In December 2009, Baker decided to move north to Taranaki along with Manawatu teammate Andre Taylor, who both signed with the union on a two-year deal.

[17] After being sidelined throughout the 2011 Super Rugby season with a stress fracture in his back, the injury eventually improved and he managed to play several games for Taranaki in their 2011 ITM Cup campaign.

[21] After a six-week ban for a dangerous tackle in the Highlanders' round 8 game against the Rebels,[22] Baker badly tore a hamstring in club rugby in Dunedin.

After working his way back to fitness, he finally got a start for Taranaki against Northland in the 2014 ITM Cup, only to suffer an AC joint injury just a few minutes into the game.

[23] However, he finished the season on a high, after being a part of Taranaki's narrow victory over Tasman at Yarrow Stadium to win the province's first ITM Cup Premiership title.

In the Hong Kong Sevens, he led the New Zealand team in scoring four tries in their semi-final win over Fiji and two tries in their Cup final loss to Samoa.

[51][52] Although the then 24-year-old Baker had only played seven matches for the Highlanders, Jamie Joseph, the Māori All Blacks coach, selected him for the 2012 UK end of year tour to England, playing against domestic club team Leicester Tigers, a specially made RFU Championship XV, and ending against the Canadian national team.