Colorado Rockies: Larry Walker belongs in the Hall of Fame

The final verdict

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As much as Larry Walker deserves a 2020 induction into the Hall of Fame, it’s rather doubtful he’ll make it the traditional way. The Coors Effect coupled with the sport’s run environment during his prime years has unfortunately put Walker too far behind. There’s simply too much ground for him to cover, and not enough time.

The good news is that there’s an excellent chance of him getting in by way of the Today’s Game Era Committee, which will be coming back around in 2022. On that ballot, Walker will be listed with far less superior players, and by then the momentum he has picked up over the past few years should perhaps pay off.

Hopefully, this is the case, as it would be a huge disappointment for a player who owns the Colorado Rockies’ best slash-line of all-time (.334/.426/.618) to be left out. Walker was one of the greatest hitters to ever play for one of the league’s youngest teams. Sure, he played in a hitter-friendly environment and benefited from a more offensive era, but Walker shouldn’t be discredited for his accomplishments.

As one of the most used stats today, WAR was created to quantify a player’s performance; a way to objectively determine just how great a player really was, no matter the ballpark or the era. If that’s what we’re supposed to count on as true way to value players, then Larry Walker’s HoF case should be simple. Let’s hope the voters do the right thing.