Redshirting star caliber players, those likely to be first day draft picks after three years, is a waste of a year. It isn't an easy task, but the coaches are being paid millions to show great judgement about who these few players are and make decisions about redshirting accordingly.Redshirting has lost its luster. NFL Rookie Salary cap makes Junior more likely to leave the program.
Playing a guy like Shaq Thompson as a freshman was a no brainer. Danny Shelton was probably a defensible decision. Guys like Josh Shirley, Elijah Qualls, Marcus Farria, etc (this list could go on for a mile just using the past 5 years) as freshmen were questionable decisions at best. There's no way to view Sark as anything but a failure in this aspect of his job at UW.
Baker is going to play and probably has to based not just on talent but also on the lack of good players on the roster at his position.