Colorado Rockies: Larry Walker belongs in the Hall of Fame
By Clint Manry
Colorado Rockies great Larry Walker exemplifies everything a Hall of Fame player should be. Despite posting career numbers that are easily worthy of induction, the outfielder is stuck in an unfortunate position in his final year of candidacy.
A 1997 MVP winner and five-time All-Star and Colorado Rockies great, Larry Walker has been on the Hall of Fame ballot for long enough. Unfortunately, the chances are rather slim for Walker, and now in his tenth and final year on the ballot, there’s just not enough time to gain the ground needed. But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be in.
Colorado Rockies, OF, Larry Walker
2,160 hits / 383 HR / .313 AVG / 140 wRC+
Career WAR: 72.7
AVG HoF RF WAR: 72.7
2019 finish: 54.6%
BACKGROUND
Born in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Walker was signed in 1984 by the Montreal Expos with a whopping $1,500 signing bonus. Despite receiving such a poor bonus, Walker hit the ground running once in the Expos’ organization, immediately playing like a superstar.
In his first pro season, with the Expos’ Single-A team, Walker slashed .288/.397/.602 with 33 home runs, 90 RBI and 18 stolen bases, in 133 games. Pretty good for a 19-year-old.
Year 2 was almost just as impressive. In 128 games with the Double-A squad, Walker slashed .287/.383/.534 with 26 homers, 83 RBI and 24 stolen bases. At 20-years-old, Walker was a freak athlete with speed and power, plus he possessed an elite ability to seemingly always make contact with the bat, thanks to elite hand-eye coordination.
However, a cartridge tear in his right knee while playing winter ball in Mexico ruined his 1988 season, forcing him to sit out the entire year.
His return in 1989 was far from spectacular. Then 22-years-old and up to Triple-A ball within the Expos’ minor league system, Walker couldn’t quite match the power he showed in his first two seasons.
In 114 games, the outfielder hit just 12 home runs and slugged .421, though he maintained a strong .270 average while also proving his knee was fully repaired, swiping 36 bags. His performance proved to be good enough, as Walker was promoted at the tail end of that 1989 season, where he’d play 20 games in the majors for Montreal.
The 1990 season was Larry Walker’s first full season in the majors, and though his numbers weren’t great, he managed to put up a rookie season that earned him a 7th-place finish in the National League Rookie of the Year vote.