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Larry Walker back on Hall of Fame ballot

Walk seems content just staying on the ballot year after year, but doesn't he deserve more?

USA TODAY Sports

Walker hopes support for Hall of Fame grows | rockies.com
Larry Walker is back on the Hall of Fame ballot, and this time around he hopes voters will get over the Coors Field stigma.

"I played in the big leagues for 17 years, and almost 10 of them were in a Rockies uniform," Walker said while visiting Rockies camp last March. "I feel like I'm getting penalized for that, and in my eyes, I played in the big leagues. The Colorado Rockies are a Major League team, and I'm content with that. "

John Schlegel has quotes from a big supporter of Walker's: legendary manager Tony La Russa. He's the type of guy HOF voters drool over, so maybe one day they'll listen to him.

Here's the case I made at SB Nation for Walker a year ago:

Baseball-Reference's WAR is a park-adjusted stat, and Walker's career total of 72.6 puts him in great company in terms of right fielders. All 11 of those who rank ahead of Walker on the all-time list are in the Hall of Fame, as are many -- including Tony Gwynn and Dave Winfield -- who rank below him. Jay Jaffe's Hall of Fame scoring system, JAWS, shines an even brighter light on Walker, whose score of 58.6 ranks 10th among all right fielders in history. The nine players above him in that category are all enshrined in Cooperstown.

Coors Field might have been a hitter's paradise during Walker's time there, but the metrics show he was the real deal. He certainly didn't hurt his cause for being recognized as a legitimate hitter after leaving Denver with his performance during the final two years of his career. Walker came reasonably close to reaching the .300/.400/.500 mark while spending the 2004 and 2005 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Baseball Prospectus | The 40-Man Additions
Tyler Anderson's peak is a No. 4 starter, according to the B-Pro team. That's probably equivalent to a good No. 2 in the Rockies' rotation. The soft-tossing lefty lives on good control, command and downward movement coupled with a plus changeup. Sounds eerily familiar ...

Blogpile

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