Hall Of Fame Debate: Making The Case For Larry Walker
I am slowly digesting everything that has resulted from the BWAA’s voting in regards to the 2013 Hall of Fame vote.
Ultimately, I have yet to personally decide how I feel about the steroid era. I have gone back and forth on the issue, and I see the two sides, and I understand both of them pretty well. I have yet to really take a stance on it, and to this day it is effecting how I feel about the guys that are now becoming eligible for entry into Cooperstown.
Hopefully in the coming weeks, I can solidify my stance on the whole steroid-era and stick to it. I care so much for this sport and its history - I just want to feel right about my decision…
For this week’s ‘Hall Of Fame Debate’, I wanted to discuss a player whose name has never been connected to anything about PEDs or steroids. He has, however, been tagged as a fantastic ballplayer.
I was shocked to read that Larry Walker received just 123 votes giving him only 21.6% of the total votes cast.
Walker is going to need a ton of support to get into the Hall Of Fame. Needing another 300 votes is going to be a near impossible mission. But if the BWAA really sat down and looked at the contribution that Larry Walker made to major league baseball and the teams he played for during his magnificent 17 season career, they may be swayed…
First, we need to start with the obvious – Walker played 15 of his 17 years in non-major media cities, Montreal and Denver. It is very likely that many, if not most, of the writers that make up the 569 votes of the BWAA only saw Walker play while he was making a trip to the town in which they were employed. They probably never saw his full body of work, because of their lack of interest in the Montreal and Denver franchises. I am not saying that all writers fall into this category, but it could be more than 50%…
Walker was a 5-time All-Star, who competed for roster spots in the mid-summer classic with some of the toughest competition that the National League had to offer. His five selections between 1992-2001 have him competing for spots with Tony Gwynn, Barry Bonds, Vladimir Guerrero, Sammy Sosa, Lance Berkman, and others.
Walker was a very well rounded player that excelled on both offense and defense. Walker is a 7-time Gold Glove Award winner. He also captured three Silver Slugger awards for being one of the best hitting outfielders in the league.
Walker’s career offensive numbers look like this: 2,160 hits, 471 doubles, 62 triples, 383 home runs, 1,355 runs scored, and 1,311 RBI. He has a career batting average of .313 and an on-base percentage of .400. He was a three-time batting champion and led the league in on-base percentage twice.
Walker won the NL MVP Award in 1997. During that campaign, Walker batted .366 and led the league with a .452 on-base percentage. He paced the NL with 49 home runs while driving in 130 runs and scoring 143 times. His .720 slugging percentage also led the league.
Oh, and Larry Walker was a runner too!! He has 230 stolen bases on his resume, and a 75% success rate!!
A few more tidbits:
- When listed among the all-time hitters on BaseballReference.com, Walker is listed with Tony Gwynn, Jeff Bagwell, and Rod Carew
- He has a higher career batting average than Hank Aaron, Paul Molitor, George Brett, and Chipper Jones
- He has a higher career on-base percentage than Joe DiMaggio, Joe Morgan, Rod Carew, and Frank Robinson
With everything stated above, the question remains – Is Larry Walker a Hall Of Famer??
Ultimately, I think that there are three factors that work against Walker: (1) lack of 200-hit seasons (only had 1, and this is a benchmark stat) (2) teams played for (sometimes you cannot choose who you play for) and (3) lack of postseason presence (Walker played in three postseasons, 2 coming in his final two seasons with the Cardinals).
But, is this enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame? Has he done enough to truly be considered for enshrinement at Cooperstown?
For me, Walker is on par, if not better than, several Hall of Famers. He does lack the postseason exposure that would help his cause, but his extremely well-rounded play gives him things on his resume that others cannot offer. The base running and defensive accomplishments cannot be overlooked. And if you asked GM’s in the 1990′s to build you an outfield, my guess is that Walker’s name would be mentioned quite often. He had elite tools, and he used all of them, very well!
If I had to vote, my vote would be ‘YES’.
How would you vote? Is Larry Walker a Hall of Famer, or is he stuck on the outside looking in??
Let me hear it. And thanks for reading! Have a great night.
Personally, I do not believe he is HOF worthy. Except for the steals and higher batting average, he reminds me of Dave Kingman. Regarding the steroid issue, I find it surprising that players that used steroids can’t get into the Hall, while notorious cheaters such as Gaylord Perry and Phil Niekro are in. Just a thought and my two cents worth.
Ron- A much, much higher batting average; more than 70 points higher. Walker was also a supreme defender for a period of his career, Kingman was not.
This is true. Guess what I meant is that both players were better then average during their careers but fall short in their total stats compared to others already in the Hall.
Ron- ill agree with that, but will say that of the players that were Walker’s contemporaries, few had and excelled with all five tools like be did.
I would compare him to Dawson and Murphy; and his lifetime BA is a lot higher than them too.
I think that Walker has a lot in common with Fred Lynn. Multiple Gold Gloves and All Star Games. Both won MVP awards and batting titles.
Matt- Walker carried the offense during his Time with the Rockies. Lynn had a handful of complimentary parts in his rosters, but was not the sole provider of run production.
Disagree with you Brian. Galarraga, Bichette, Castilla, Burks and Helton along with Walker carried the team during Walker’s time in Colorado. In terms of individual accomplishments he’s very similar to Lynn.
I totally believe Larry Walker should be in the Hall of Fame. There are some that make the argument that because he played in Colorado, that his stats are inflated. A player cannot help where he plays. What is he supposed to do? “Oh, I’m playing for the Rockies, I guess I won’t hit”. 5 out 6 years he hit .338 or higher. In 1997 he hit .366 and he SECOND for batting average. 7 Gold Gloves. But I think Larry is going to be like a Jim Rice type. He’ll eventually get in, but it will take awhile. BTW Ron, I disagree with you about Gaylord Perry and Niekro. I think Perry was more about deception than cheating. Niekro won 300 games, that’s the benchmark. The only thing those guys injected into themselves was beer.
Anthony- very well said. As long as he remains on the ballot, I am good.
While both were great pitchers, both had their stats inflated due to cheating. The same as the players during the steroid era. How many less K’s and wins would they have if they had not doctored the baseball from time to time? Perry has skirted the question of whether he used vaseline, emery boards, spit, nails and other items when directly asked if he had cheated. The very fact that many hitters during that time claimed to see moisture coming off of the ball as it approached them means he must have been doing something to the ball besides just winding up and throwing it.
In fact the case could be made that steroid users are more deserving then those two because their cheating came OFF the field, whereas Niekro and Perry cheated ON the field. Taking steroids does not help you hit or catch the ball. That is all about hand/eye coordination. Ask all the players in the minor leagues that took it and never made it to the Big Show because they did not have the skill set to get there in the first place. Just something to think about.
Ron- it’s hard to not agree with any of what you’re saying. Nicely done.
Yeah, no doubt. I’m not quite old enough to have seen Perry pitch. I did see Niekro win his 300th game in Toronto though. I agree with what you say.
Walker was definitely a good ballplayer but I don’t think he is HOF worthy. I know he has a better career average than some great players and a better career OBP than some great players, but his career doesn’t seem HOF worthy to me. HOF players play more than what Walker did. I know he played 17 seasons but on average he only played 117 games per season. I know players get injured, but when writers question whether you care about the game or not then that is a red flag about what kind of teammate he was. There are many more deserving players to vote into the HOF.
in overI think i have heard his name and jeff bagwell as possible steriod users. I think that is by association of big seasons at the same time as bonds, mcgwire and sosa than actual proof.
I think for walker it was getting away from montreal and playing in colorado. I think some voters hold that against him, his numbers inflated because of that. Which i’ve never agreed with, denying a award or honor based on the stadium you play in.
I would put him in, but i think i would put bagwell over him. I think bagwell had less to work with and carried his team more.
Charley- good points. Bagwell has solid base stealing numbers for a guy that you would never expect them from.
I think Walker belongs in the Hall of Very Very Good but not the Hall of Fame. If you look at his home/road splits you can’t debate that he had inflated stats due to Coors Field. If he would have been closer to some of the magical numbers maybe that would be easy to overlook but with the help of his home field and fewer than 2200 hits and 400 HRs, I just don’t think he is immortal.
Adam- while the home and away numbers may be vastly different, I’ve never put much into that theory.
For me, that is like saying that the pitchers Walker faced in his division were not as good as what others had to face in other divisions…
Yes Yes & Yes. Larry Walkers achievements: 97 M.V.P., 5 X A.S., 7 X G.G., 3 X SS, 3 X Batting Titles, 97 Home Run Champ, 04 N.L.D.S. MVP – These achievements apply to the Hall Of Fame. These are the numbers, stats or accomplishments which get players into the H.O.F. And Walker has recorded them – cleanly.
Andre Dawson had a career OPS of .806 Larry Walker OPS’d .965 for his career…. Never having a 500 at bat season with an OPS of less than that of Dawson’s average…. Larry Walker won the NL batting title 3 times & in different years won the – doubles and – home run titles + percentage titles. His 1997 MVP season is among the best – Non-Steroid Aided season’(s) ever. The .366 .452 .720 slash line is incredible plus he swiped – 33 stolen bases & launched – 49 Home Runs while striking out only 12 more times than the rate at which he took walks. Not to forget that Walker played very solid defense in right field for his ENTIRE career. At his age & with 17 years in the big leagues he won the 2004 NLDS MVP. That is very recognizable & inspire-able. Hes a guy who could have easily went over to the A.L & became a DH. I personally think hes one of the greatest N.L. players ever. Keeping him out of the Hall Of Fame would be a crime & a travesty. He played the game with integrity & its time the good guys like Lee Smith, Fred McGriff, Tim Raines, Dale Murphy started getting recognized for not only their performances & statistics, but there personalities & loyalties to the game. These guys all had Integrity. Something our past time sport desperately needs.
McGee-Fan51-
Very well said! I think that the batting titles get glossed over way too quickly. It should be noted and applauded that he did that in the Tony Gwynn era.