He should be immortalized in Cooperstown.The seventh and final name gets criticized by many in the analytical crowd. To me, he’s a Hall of Famer.In all, I had seven players on my ballot this year.The most obvious choice was Derek Jeter, who could join former New York Yankees teammate Mariano Rivera as the second player to be elected with 100 percent of the vote.While Jeter has been retired for five years, it’s easy to remember his greatness that included 3,465 hits – sixth-highest total in major league history – 14 All-Star Game selections, five Gold Gloves, five Silver Slugger and, of course, five World Series rings.And to address the steroids elephant in the room, I voted for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Manny Ramirez just as I have during each of their years on the ballot. He put up some pretty impressive stats for a SF over the years. Too bad, this is a HOFer. He definitely has my vote for Cooperstown, but it is not going to happen it seems, until the Veterans Committee takes it up, years from now. Colorado Rockies right fielder Larry Walker can't make catch during the game against the Colorado When I put a checkmark next to Larry Walker’s name on the Hall of Fame ballot in his first year of eligibility in 2011, it wasn’t with the intent with being a contrarian or trendsetter.It certainly appeared I was a contrarian that first year when I was one of just 20.3 percent of the electorate who voted for the multi-talented outfielder. The years he’s spent in Coors Field will affect how the BBWAA will regard him. (Photo by Jon Soohoo/Getty Images) And, yes, Walker hit an amazing .381/.462/.710 in 2,501 plate appearances at Coors Field. It happened, regardless of how the results might have been achieved.Curt Schilling is another polarizing figure on my ballot. I have also been a member of the Baseball Writers Association ofI have covered Major League Baseball regularly since 1988 and also have experience covering the NFL. However, his candidacy has picked up momentum and he was listed on 54.6 percent of the ballots last year.However, something that surprises me is a bit of information from Ryan Thibodaux, who monitors Hall of Fame voting atAccording to Thibodaux’s records, the New York Post’s Ken Davidoff and myself are the only two electors whose votes have been made public who have voted for Walker during each of his 10 years on the ballot.In my mind, there was a never a debate in voting for Walker. Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on July 28, 2004. "Suits" is my dad, whose recollections proved that he must have been the world'... Mickey Mantle is the most prized figure in baseball card collecting, in no small part because he was the boyhood hero of so many baby boome... Not many years ago I accidentally stumbled into some 1958 pictures of Red Wing Stadium in Rochester, New York. If Larry Walker retired today, he would not be a Hall of Famer. Derek Jeter was an obvious first ballot Hall of Famer. A century ago, before the construction of Fenway Park, there were two major league ballparks side-by-side in the south of Boston. The term PED means "performance-enhancing drugs," and steroids are just the most modern form.
I don't know whether Larry Walker used PEDs, and I'm not sure I really care.
Before I begin this analysis, I'm going to stipulate that it will only deal with performance on the field. I don’t take politics into account in the voting process.Schilling had a 216-146 record and came up big in the World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 and Boston Red Sox in 2004. Unfortunately, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual enshrinement ceremony was canceled. Whether Walker would make the cut or not was the day’s biggest mystery. I currently reside in Beaver Falls, PAOpinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
He needs to get healthy and stay healthy. That was far from the 75 percent of the vote needed from 10-year members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to gain induction in Cooperstown.Walker’s percentage fell to 10.4 in 2014 and it seemed he had not chance of ever getting a plaque. However, Walker developed into a sensational player during the … All are tied to performance-enhancing drugs, I know. think he will make the hall of fame? Chuck Klein batted .395 with power at the Baker Bowl, Walker batted .381 with power at Coors, and Snider had a .999 OPS at Ebbets Field. I have also been a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America since '88, a Hall of Fame voter since 1998 and have covered multiple World Series and Super Bowls for various publication. However he does have a shot at the honor. And he is 127th in career touchdown receptions at 48, behind reliable pros but nowhere-near-Hall-of-Famers in Vincent Jackson (52), Marques Colston (63) and … I chose to add Klein to the comparison because he is a Hall of Famer and he, like Walker and Snider, had career stats heavily influenced by one friendly home park. In many ways, I’m also a member of the G... ... the only white man in the Negro Leagues.