When Larry Walker was on the field he was a force, capable of changing the outcome of a game with his speed, his throwing arm or his bat. At the plate, he had as much power as anyone but wasn’t merely a slugger. A lifetime .313 hitter, he won three batting titles while walking nearly as often as he struck out.
But his prime seasons came at Coors Field, arguably the best hitters’ park in baseball history, and Walker had trouble staying healthy, with only one season of 150-plus games. A full accounting of his career must consider those factors, too.
So far, the arguments against Walker have outweighed the many points in his favour. But, after nine seasons on the Hall of Fame ballot, Walker’s now gaining unprecedented support ahead of his 10th and final chance to be elected into Cooperstown by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Maybe this is the year Walker’s accomplishments finally overshadow his injuries and home ballpark.
With Tuesday’s announcement approaching, we take a closer look at the numbers that define Walker’s career and Hall of Fame candidacy.
4 – Walker singled and drew three walks in his big-league debut at Olympic Stadium on August 16, 1989. Those four times on base were a sign of things to come for the Maple Ridge, B.C., native, as he’d finish his career with a lifetime .400 on-base percentage.
7– Walker won the first of his seven Gold Gloves in 1992, when he broke out as a star at age 25. He also made the first of five all-star teams that year while winning the first of three Silver Sluggers.
151 – While Walker’s best years came at Coors Field, he was an offensive force even before he signed a four-year, $22.5-million deal with the Rockies. In 1994, his final season in Montreal, his OPS+ was 151. For context, that would have placed him between George Springer (150) and Anthony Rendon (153) in 2019.
1.176 – There’s no doubt that Walker benefitted from hitting at Coors Field over the years. It was so forgiving to hitters that the position players on the 2000 Rockies combined to hit .304 with an .845 OPS as a team. The starting shortstop on that club, Neifi Perez, was a lifetime .321 hitter at Coors Field and a replacement-level player away from altitude. So yes, it was a hitter’s paradise, especially during the years Walker played there.
But Walker still deserves credit for taking advantage of that environment. During his prime seasons from 1997-2001, he won three batting titles and an MVP. He averaged a .357/.445/.658 batting line with 31 homers per season during that half-decade. He performed, in essence, like a Hall of Famer.
And, it should be noted that Walker actually hit better on the road during his 1997 MVP season. His home numbers that year were ridiculous: 20 home runs with a .384/.460/.709 batting line for a 1.169 OPS. And yet his road numbers were even better: 29 home runs and a .346/.443/.733 batting line for a 1.176 OPS.
.873 – Approximately two thirds of Walker’s career plate appearances happened away from Coors Field. He posted an .873 OPS outside of Colorado – higher than the career OPS of Hall of Famers such as Wade Boggs, Al Kaline and Reggie Jackson.
6 – Only six players beat Walker in lifetime batting average (.313), on-base percentage (.400) and slugging percentage (.565): Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.
383 – Compared to many Hall of Famers, Walker’s career home-run total is modest. He set a career-high with 49 homers during his MVP season and topped 30 homers three other times.
230 – Though he was best known for his bat, Walker stole 230 bases over the years, topping out at 33 in 1997. His career stolen-base rate was 75.1 per cent – above average for the era. If he can match that success rate on BBWAA ballots, he’ll have a spot in Cooperstown.
141 – Since OPS+ accounts for ballpark factors, it helps compare players across eras and leagues. Walker’s career OPS+ of 141 beats Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero, among many others.
72.7 – Even though he missed considerable time over the years and had the benefit of Coors Field, Walker was such a good hitter that he generated 72.7 wins above replacement during his career as measured by Baseball-Reference.
That’s more career WAR than Derek Jeter, a sure bet to be inducted on his first ballot this summer. It’s also more than dozens of players already in Cooperstown, including Barry Larkin, Tony Gwynn, Eddie Murray, Ernie Banks, Roberto Alomar and Dave Winfield.
33 – The Rockies announced last week that they’re retiring Walker’s No. 33.
85.7 – As of Monday, Walker’s name had appeared on 85.7 per cent of publicly known ballots, as tracked by Ryan Thibodaux. That gives him a real chance of being elected, but he’s no sure thing with more than half of all ballots still unknown. A year ago, Walker’s support dropped by 11.3 percentage points once those private ballots were counted. A similar drop-off Tuesday would put him right on the cusp of the 75 per-cent minimum required for induction.
His chances are legitimate, then, just far from assured.
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