{"id":16800,"date":"2019-02-05T08:11:03","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T13:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/\/?p=16800"},"modified":"2020-01-21T23:30:50","modified_gmt":"2020-01-22T04:30:50","slug":"larry-walker-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2019\/02\/05\/larry-walker-hall-of-fame\/","title":{"rendered":"Larry Walker Belongs in the Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"

Larry Walker Belongs in the Hall of Fame<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Two weeks ago, three deserving candidates \u2013 Roy Halladay<\/strong><\/a>, Edgar Martinez<\/strong><\/a>, and Mariano Rivera<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 were elected to the Hall of Fame. Three borderline candidates \u2013 Harold Baines<\/strong><\/a>, Mike Mussina<\/a><\/strong>, and Lee Smith<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 will also be inducted this summer. Unfortunately, there were several deserving candidates who were not elected.<\/p>\n

One is Larry Walker<\/strong><\/a>. Although he was one of the most feared hitters of the 1990s, he only has one more chance to be elected by the writers. This year, for the first time, he gained votes from more than half of the voters, but it was below the 75% threshold to gain induction. The voters have one more chance to get it right. Otherwise, he will languish in limbo until the Veterans Committee rightly votes him in.<\/p>\n

Larry Walker in the Montr\u00e9al Years<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The main reason he has been snubbed is the fact that he played nine and a half of his 17 seasons in Denver. Yes, Coors Field is a hitter\u2019s paradise, and he played there before they humidified the baseballs, but that is not a good enough reason to leave him out. After all, it\u2019s not the only place he played. He played six seasons in Montr\u00e9al before arriving in Colorado<\/a>, and he had an outstanding season in 1994. In fact, he was one of several reasons that the Expos were heavy favorites to win the World Series that year before the strike halted the season early. Look at his numbers in 1994:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n<\/tfoot>\n<\/table>\n
Year<\/th>\nTm<\/th>\nG<\/th>\nPA<\/th>\nAB<\/th>\nR<\/th>\nH<\/th>\n2B<\/th>\n3B<\/th>\nHR<\/th>\nRBI<\/th>\nSB<\/th>\nCS<\/th>\nBB<\/th>\nSO<\/th>\nBA<\/th>\nOBP<\/th>\nSLG<\/th>\nOPS<\/th>\nOPS+<\/th>\nTB<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1994<\/th>\nMON<\/a><\/td>\n103<\/td>\n452<\/td>\n395<\/td>\n76<\/td>\n127<\/td>\n44<\/strong><\/td>\n2<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n86<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n47<\/td>\n74<\/td>\n.322<\/td>\n.394<\/td>\n.587<\/td>\n.981<\/td>\n151<\/td>\n232<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/tfoot>\n<\/table>\n
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com<\/a>: View Original Table\u00a0<\/a>Generated 2\/3\/2019.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Several sportswriters seem to forget that he played half of his games on the road, dismissing his offensive stats in the late 90s by saying that he would have been an average hitter at best if he didn\u2019t play in Denver.<\/p>\n

Is that true?\u00a0 Sabermetrics have created a statistic, park factor, that measures the impact of a stadium on batting or pitching numbers. A park with a rating of 100 is a completely neutral park, favoring neither pitchers nor hitters. If the rating is below 100, it favors pitchers; if it is above 100, it favors hitters. For reference, Coors Field hovered in the 120s<\/a> while Walker played for the Rockies. During the same time period, Dodger Stadium, the most pitcher-friendly park in the league, had a rating in the low 90s.<\/p>\n

Through Sabermetrics, one can adjust Walker\u2019s hitting stats to a hitter-neutral environment. The results are fascinating. Yes, his average drops, but, as shown at the end of this writing, it still stands up against other Hall of Fame players.<\/p>\n

Similarity Scores<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sabermetrics also has a statistic known as similarity scores. A player starts with 1,000 points. After running through a series of statistical comparisons, points are taken away based on the differences between the players\u2019 numbers. The result is the similarity score. The highest similarity score for Walker is 888.9. The player? Duke Snider<\/strong><\/a>. Few, if any, baseball historians will argue his inclusion. Other Hall of Fame players in Walker\u2019s top ten are Joe DiMaggio<\/a><\/strong> (865.4, fifth place), Johnny Mize<\/a><\/strong> and Vladimir Guerrero<\/a><\/strong> (tied for seventh with 860.2), and Chuck Klein<\/strong><\/a> (845.0, 10th place). Recent inductee Harold Baines, by comparison, had offensive numbers that were not as good as Walker\u2019s, even after adjusting to a hitter-neutral environment. More on Baines in a minute.<\/p>\n

Larry Walker Was More than a Hitter<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Larry Walker was not just an offensive threat, winning seven Gold Gloves as a right fielder. He had a cannon for an arm, and in seven seasons between 1990 and 2002, he was among the top three right fielders in the league for outfield assists.<\/p>\n

When defense is included, it becomes ludicrous that Baines is in while Walker isn\u2019t. Baines played from 1980 to 2001. From \u201987 onward, he was a full-time designated hitter. Of his 1,838 games from \u201987 onward, he only played defense for as much as an inning in 81 of them. From \u201993 to the end of his career, he played a grand total of two<\/em> innings<\/em> on defense. When he did play defense, people saw why he was a full-time designated hitter who never gained serious interest from a team in the National League.<\/p>\n

The Art of Running the Bases<\/strong><\/h3>\n

During an in-the-broadcast-booth interview, Scott Rolen<\/a><\/strong> said that Walker was the best player he ever played with<\/a>. One reason that he immediately cited was baserunning. Numbers back this up. According to advanced baserunning statistics, 52% of the time that Walker was on base, he advanced more than one base on a single or more than two bases on a double. In 1997, that number was 70%. For comparison, here are the career percentages of other noteworthy runners: Rickey Henderson<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 55%; Lou Brock<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 54%; Vince Coleman<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 53%. (Harold Baines, by the way, was at 37%.)<\/p>\n

Larry Walker Belongs in the Hall of Fame<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Walker was one of the best five-tool players of the past 30 years. Even though he did not reach any of the major counting milestones, he still struck terror into opposing teams and fans in the National League West any time he stepped to the plate. Had he not broken his clavicle and missed half the 1996 season, he almost certainly would have surpassed 400 homers. His injury came from crashing into the outfield fence while trying to make a running catch against the Atlanta Braves<\/a>, which is no surprise to anyone who watched him play defense. His arm was a tremendous weapon, as was his base running. It is a crime that Walker is not in the Hall of Fame yet. Voters, do the right thing next year and vote him in.<\/p>\n

\n

Year<\/th>\nTm<\/th>\nG<\/th>\nPA<\/th>\nAB<\/th>\nR<\/th>\nH<\/th>\n2B<\/th>\n3B<\/th>\nHR<\/th>\nRBI<\/th>\nSB<\/th>\nCS<\/th>\nBB<\/th>\nSO<\/th>\nBA<\/th>\nOBP<\/th>\nSLG<\/th>\nOPS<\/th>\nOPS+<\/th>\nTB<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1994<\/th>\nMON<\/a><\/td>\n103<\/td>\n452<\/td>\n395<\/td>\n76<\/td>\n127<\/td>\n44<\/strong><\/td>\n2<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n86<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n47<\/td>\n74<\/td>\n.322<\/td>\n.394<\/td>\n.587<\/td>\n.981<\/td>\n151<\/td>\n232<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1995<\/th>\nCOL<\/a><\/td>\n131<\/td>\n562<\/td>\n494<\/td>\n96<\/td>\n151<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n101<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n49<\/td>\n72<\/td>\n.306<\/td>\n.381<\/td>\n.607<\/td>\n.988<\/td>\n131<\/td>\n300<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1996<\/th>\nCOL<\/a><\/td>\n83<\/td>\n304<\/td>\n272<\/td>\n58<\/td>\n75<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n58<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n58<\/td>\n.276<\/td>\n.342<\/td>\n.570<\/td>\n.912<\/td>\n116<\/td>\n155<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1997<\/th>\nCOL<\/a><\/td>\n153<\/td>\n664<\/td>\n568<\/td>\n143<\/td>\n208<\/td>\n46<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n49<\/strong><\/td>\n130<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n78<\/td>\n90<\/td>\n.366<\/td>\n.452<\/strong><\/td>\n.720<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n1.172<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n178<\/td>\n409<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n
Harold Baines Neutralized Batting<\/caption>\n
Year<\/th>\nG<\/th>\nPA<\/th>\nAB<\/th>\nR<\/th>\nH<\/th>\n2B<\/th>\n3B<\/th>\nHR<\/th>\nRBI<\/th>\nSB<\/th>\nBB<\/th>\nSO<\/th>\nBA<\/th>\nOBP<\/th>\nSLG<\/th>\nOPS<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
22 Y<\/th>\n2928<\/td>\n11392<\/td>\n10195<\/td>\n1319<\/td>\n2919<\/td>\n492<\/td>\n54<\/td>\n391<\/td>\n1636<\/td>\n38<\/td>\n1073<\/td>\n1489<\/td>\n.286<\/td>\n.352<\/td>\n.460<\/td>\n.812<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tfoot>\n<\/table>\n
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com<\/a>: View Original Table\u00a0<\/a>Generated 2\/3\/2019.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n
Duke Snider Neutralized Batting<\/caption>\n
Year<\/th>\nG<\/th>\nPA<\/th>\nAB<\/th>\nR<\/th>\nH<\/th>\n2B<\/th>\n3B<\/th>\nHR<\/th>\nRBI<\/th>\nSB<\/th>\nBB<\/th>\nSO<\/th>\nBA<\/th>\nOBP<\/th>\nSLG<\/th>\nOPS<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
18 Y<\/th>\n2229<\/td>\n8407<\/td>\n7340<\/td>\n1205<\/td>\n2092<\/td>\n353<\/td>\n85<\/td>\n401<\/td>\n1277<\/td>\n98<\/td>\n962<\/td>\n1287<\/td>\n.285<\/td>\n.368<\/td>\n.520<\/td>\n.888<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tfoot>\n<\/table>\n
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com<\/a>: View Original Table\u00a0<\/a>Generated 2\/3\/2019.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n
Larry Walker Neutralized Batting<\/caption>\n
Year<\/th>\nG<\/th>\nPA<\/th>\nAB<\/th>\nR<\/th>\nH<\/th>\n2B<\/th>\n3B<\/th>\nHR<\/th>\nRBI<\/th>\nSB<\/th>\nBB<\/th>\nSO<\/th>\nBA<\/th>\nOBP<\/th>\nSLG<\/th>\nOPS<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
17 Y<\/th>\n2046<\/td>\n7930<\/td>\n6894<\/td>\n1159<\/td>\n1994<\/td>\n444<\/td>\n57<\/td>\n348<\/td>\n1129<\/td>\n216<\/td>\n838<\/td>\n1270<\/td>\n.289<\/td>\n.373<\/td>\n.522<\/td>\n.895<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tfoot>\n<\/table>\n
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com<\/a>: View Original Table\u00a0<\/a>Generated 2\/3\/2019.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>