It took until his final year of eligibility, but Larry Walker has earned himself a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
After retiring in 2005, his 10-year stretch of eligibility began in 2011 and this year was his final chance to reach the 75% ballot threshold to be inducted into Cooperstown.
In what was considered by many to be a very overdue move, the slugger finally achieved that number this year and will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame forever.
In his final ballot appearance, Larry Walker gets in. #HOF2020 pic.twitter.com/HTNbvdvueG
— MLB (@MLB) January 21, 2020
Walker was never drafted into the MLB and ended up signing with the Montreal Expos in 1984.
It took him a few years to crack the Expos’ MLB roster, but he did in 1990 and finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting.
“Walker harnessed his five-tool talent with a work ethic born on the frozen ponds of his home country,” says his Hall of Fame bio.
“He made his first All-Star team in 1992 and also won his first Gold Glove Award that same year, then led the Expos to a 74-40 record in 1994 before the strike ended the season.”
The following year, he joined the Rockies as a free agent and began a nearly decade-long stretch that saw him develop into one of the game’s elite players.
Walker won a home run title and the NL MVP award in 1997, three batting titles in the four years after that and five Gold Glove Awards during that nine-year stretch as well.
“He’s the most talented player I’ve ever had,” said former manager Don Baylor.
“He never misses the cutoff man, he never throws to the wrong base; he has speed, power and intelligence. All you have to do is write his name down in the lineup and he’ll take care of the rest.”
Now 53 years old, Walker finished his career with a .313 batting average, 383 home runs, 1,311 RBI, 230 stolen bases and seven Gold Glove Awards.
He’s the first BC-born player to be inducted into the baseball’s Hall of Fame.
