Larry Walker Retires: Greatest Canadian BB Player of Alltime

[ClipJoint]

FWIW, I agreed with you in an above post -- he isn't HOF material yet. And I also don't give a rip that he's Canadian as far as his HOF potential goes. But regarding his Montreal year as an example, wouldn't you want a guy who can hit .301 with power (23 hrs and 93 rbis), who can steal 20-30 bases and be a gold glover on D?

Would I want one...sure. But keep in mind that was his BEST season. Hardly Hall of Fame type numbers.

He was a solid 5 tool player. There is no doubt about it. But he was far from exceptional. If he played his entire career without being a Rockie, he would be considered a marginal player. :toast:

 

[tooran]

Keep in mind that, as good as a hitters' park Coors is, Olympic Stadium in Montreal had to be one of the worst hitting parks, maybe behind the Astro Dome.

The fact that Andre Dawson played at the Big O for most of his career is probably the no. 1 reason why he's not in the HOF yet. Walker's Coors numbers may be inflated, but his Montreal numbers were certainly deflated.

 

[FairWarning]

Fergie Jenkins was better, and an HOF to boot. Walker had a nice career, too bad the injuries really took a toll.

 

[vegasisstilldead]

He was never the same after he found the dead guy in his bushes...:freak1:

 

[GreenDoberman]

Nice guy, good player, not hall of fame material.

 

[ZZZSpeedster]

He was never the same after he found the dead guy in his bushes...:freak1:

never heard about this

wtf

 

[Ladeda]

Not a hall of fame player.

5-time all stars shouldn't be in the hall except extreme cases, this isn't one.

 

[TTinCO]

never heard about this

wtf

He had (may still have) a SWEET chunk of land in the foothills west of Denver. Absolutely PRIMO location. He found a body there and I think he also jacked himself up once wrecking a 4 wheeler.

 

[Betmaster3000]

My vote is yes for the HOF. But then again my vote was yes for Joe Carter. Plus, my vote doesn't count for shit.

 

[soccerbob]

I figured Larry Walker would want to play another season after all those clutch hits he got in the playoffs.

He had a solid career but his numbers are a bit inflated from playing part of his career in Coors Field. He's not even remotely a Hall of Fame candidate.

 

[5teamparlay]

http://www.theyankeeu.com/2010/12/case-for-cooperstown-larry-walker-23643/comment-page-1

Dec 13 2010
Case for Cooperstown: Larry Walker

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 1:00 pm Add comments

Before you know it, the Hall of Fame voting results will come out and we’ll see who makes it. I’m hoping for Bert Blyleven to finally get into Cooperstown, but I won’t hold my breath. Larry Walker is on the ballot for the first time. Let’s see if he has any chance.
On raw numbers alone, it’s hard to argue against Walker. He’s got a career line of .313/.400/.565/.965 with a 140 OPS+, .414 wOBA, and 145 wRC+. He hit 383 homers in his career, averaging 32 per 162 games. He led the league in batting average three times, OBP/SLG/OPS twice, as well as 2B/HR/TB once each. He won the NL MVP in 1997. He OPSed under .841 in only two full seasons (.807 in 1991, .761 in 1990).
The problem, though, is that walker played most of his home games in Coors Field. A lot of people think that game him an advantage on offense. Of course, though, it’s worth noting that OPS+ adjusts for a player’s home park, and that still gave Walker a 140 OPS+. It’s worth noting that no matter where Walker called home–Coors, Olympic Stadium, or Busch Stadium–he hit well: 1.172 OPS at Coors, .890 at OS, and .926 at BS. Granted, those numbers are rather simplified, but the point stands: Larry Walker was a damn good hitter. Let’s look at his bWAR numbers.
Walker tallied 67.3 bWAR, an average of exactly 4.0 per season (6.2 per 162 games). The only eligible (sorry Pete Rose) hitters with that many bWAR NOT in the HOF are: Bill Dahlen and Bobby Girch. It would appear that Walker has just about everything going for him. If I had a vote, I’d probably give him one. Then again, I guess I’m more of a “Big Hall” guy than most (though I’d still vote against guys like Jim Rice and Andre Dawson). Would you guys vote for Walker?

 

[5teamparlay]

[h=1]

https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/05/larry-walker-hall-of-fame-resume/
Rockies’ Larry Walker: From hockey wannabe to baseball Hall of Famer[/h][h=2]Walker is one of just seven players in MLB history with a career slash line of at least .313/.400/.565.[/h]

[FONT=&quot]By PATRICK SAUNDERS | psaunders@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
[FONT=&quot]<time datetime="2021-09-05 05:45:43" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit;">September 5, 2021 at 5:45 a.m.</time>
[/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/05/larry-walker-hall-of-fame-resume/#comments-anchorPerhaps Larry Walker was destined to be a baseball player.
Why else would the baseball gods have blessed the kid from Canada with a thunderous bat, speed on the bases, instincts, and an arm that unleashed lightning bolts from right field?
On Wednesday, Walker will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

But before he became Larry Legend and the first Rockies player elected to the Hall of Fame, all Walker wanted to do was play hockey.


People talk about five-tool players, but Larry Walker had a sixth tool: his baseball sense and anticipation. He won the MVP award in 1997, but if he weren’t playing at the same time as Barry Bonds, he may have won three or four MVP awards. He was the best at deking runners, hands-down.” — Eric Young, Walker’s Rockies teammate from 1995-97.
“I remember as an Expo. I always felt pretty comfortable against lefties, because I felt as though I could throw a breaking ball down and away from them and I could locate my fastball on their hands. They had a lot of good players in Montreal, but I thought Larry was the toughest hitter of them all, even though he was left-handed.” — current Rockies manager Bud Black, who, as a pitcher for San Francisco, faced Walker from 1992-94.
“I think the most extraordinary stat, for me, is always going to be his 1997 season, the year he won the MVP. He hit 29 of his 49 home runs on the road and his home OPS (1.169) was ridiculous, but his road OPS (1.176) was even higher. That was pre-humidor at Coors Field, so he kind of had to bust down the door to win the MVP. But considering what he did on the road, a writer would have been embarrassed not to vote for him.” — Manny Randhawa, author of The Blake Street Bombers
[h=3]Trophy case[/h]• National League MVP (1997)
• Five-time National League All-Star (1992, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001)
• Seven-time Gold Glove winner (1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002)
• Three-time Silver Slugger winner (1992, 1997 and 1999)
• Three-time National League batting champion (1998 .363; 1999, .379; and 2001, .350)
[h=3]Numbers game[/h]Games: 1,988
Hits: 2,160
Doubles: 471
Triples: 62
Home runs: 383
RBIs: 1,311
Stolen bases: 230
Batting average: .313
On-base percentage: .400
Slugging percentage: .565 (15th all-time)
OPS: .965 (18th all-time)
Career WAR: 72.7
[h=3]Super Stats[/h]• Walker is one of just seven players in MLB history with a career slash line of at least .313/.400/.565. The six others are all in the Hall of Fame (Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Rogers Hornsby).
• Walker and Barry Bonds are the only two players in MLB history with at least 300 home runs, 200 stolen bases and an OPS of at least .950.
• Walker’s road OPS of .865 is equal or higher than that of Hall of Famers Willie Stargell, Ken Griffey Jr., Reggie Jackson, Orlando Cepeda, Tony Gwynn, Al Kaline, George Brett and Roberto Clemente.
• In Rockies franchise history, Walker ranks second behind Helton in runs (892), doubles (297), home runs (258) and RBIs (848). He ranks first in franchise history with a .334 batting average, a .426 on-base percentage and a .618 slugging percentage.
[h=3]Moments in time[/h]• First home run: On April 20, 1990, with the Expos. He hit a solo homer off the Mets’ Ron Darling in the second inning of Montreal’s 2-1 win at Shea Stadium.
• The Throw: On July 4, 1992, at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium, Walker, playing in right field, fielded a one-hopper hit by Padres shortstop Tony Fernandez and threw him out at first base.
• First Rockies home run: On May 7, 1995, he hit a blast off the Dodgers’ Hideo Nomo at Coors Field.
• In the clutch: In the 1995 regular-season finale at Coors Field, the 3-year-old Rockies needed to beat the Giants to earn the National League wild card and become the youngest expansion franchise to ever make the postseason. The Rockies overcame an 8-2 deficit for a 10-9 victory. Walker was 3-for-4 with a double, homer and three RBIs. He finished the strike-shortened season with 101 RBIs in 131 games.
• Hat trick: On April 5, 1997, Walker returned to Montreal’s Olympic Stadium and hit three home runs and drove in five runs. Manager Don Baylor wanted Walker to go for four home runs but Walker asked to come out of the game so teammate John Vander Wal could get an at-bat to stay sharp.
• All-Star Game mischief: On July 8, 1997, in the All-Star Game at Cleveland’s Progressive Field (then Jacobs Field), Walker turned in his most colorful at-bat when he faced off against intimidating lefty Randy Johnson. The two were briefly teammates with the Expos, but now Johnson was pitching for Seattle and Walker was a star with Colorado. Earlier in the season, when Johnson started against the Rockies, Walker chose not to play, explaining: “I faced Randy one time in spring training and he almost killed me.”
In the All-Star Game, Johnson theatrically threw a fastball 7 or 8 feet over Walker’s head. So Walker spun his batting helmet around and switched sides in the batters’ box and hit right-handed for one pitch. He switched back to the left side and drew a walk.
“I didn’t even know if I was allowed to do that,” Walker told The Denver Post at the time. “I looked like Colonel Klink out there.”
Walker was criticized for ducking Johnson in his career, but actually, Walker hit .393 (11-for-28) against Johnson.

[/FONT]