Larry Kenneth Robert Walker famed as Larry Walker is a former professional baseball right fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) from Canada. During his 17-year career, he played for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1997, he became the only player in major league history to register both a .700 slugging percentage and 30 stolen bases in the same season, on his way to winning the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). Honors include induction into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009, the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020, and acclaim from Sports Illustrated in 1999 as the 13th greatest sporting figure from Canada. He was recognized as the top Canadian athlete in 1998 with the Lou Marsh Trophy. He placed seventh in the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year balloting. He was elected into the American Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020, receiving 76.6% of the vote in his 10th and final year on the ballot.
Larry Walker voted into Baseball Hall of Fame in the final year on the ballot by a razor-thin margin
Source: @twitter.com
On Tuesday, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced its most recent Hall of Fame election results. Per the rules, a player needs at least 75 percent of the vote in order to be enshrined, and at least five percent to remain on the ballot. Players are limited to 10 years on the ballot before their candidacy becomes subject to the whims of a Veterans Committee. No player had as much at stake as Larry Walker, who faced a close call in what was his 10th and final year on the ballot. He edged the 75-percent threshold by a slim margin, receiving 76.6 percent of the vote. That’s six more votes than the minimum for enshrinement. He finished his career having hit .313/.400/.565 (141 OPS+) with 383 home runs and 230 stolen bases. He accumulated 72.7 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference’s calculations. It’s worth noting that Walker’s total and peak WAR tallies were right in line with the average right fielder already inducted into Cooperstown. Derek Jeter, one vote shy of being unanimous, was also voted into the Hall of Fame on Tuesday night. Walker, Jeter, Ted Simmons, and Marvin Miller make up the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame class.
Famous For
- Being elected into the American Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020, receiving 76.6% of the vote in his 10th and final year on the ballot.
- Being considered a five-tool talent of prodigious athleticism and instincts.
Who are the Parents of Larry Walker?
Larry Walker was born on 1st December 1966 as Larry Kenneth Robert Walker in Maple Ridge, a suburb of Greater Vancouver in British Columbia, to Larry, Sr., and Mary Walker, both of Scottish descent. He was the youngest of four boys, Barry, Carey, and Gary. The five men often played together in a fastpitch softball league, frequently all in the same starting lineup. He grew up passing much of his free time playing street hockey. He played hockey and volleyball at Maple Ridge Secondary School; baseball was not offered. He played for the Coquitlam Reds of the British Columbia Premier Baseball League and he was selected to join the Canadian team at the 1984 World Youth Championships in Kindersley, Saskatchewan. His nationality is Canadian and his ethnicity is White. As of 2019, he celebrated his 53rd birthday.
How was Larry Walker Professional Career?
Source: @denverpost.com
- Larry Walker attended Expos minor league spring training camp in 1985 and it was clear from the outset that pitching was a complete mystery to him.
- In his second professional season in 1986, he achieved his breakthrough while playing for two A-level clubs, the Burlington Expos, and West Palm Beach Expos.
- His combined totals in 133 games included a .288 average, .397 on-base percentage (OBP), .602 slugging percentage (SLG), 87 runs scored, 19 doubles, 11 triples, 33 home runs, 90 runs batted in (RBI) and 18 stolen bases.
- He missed the 1988 season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery for an injury while playing in the Mexican Pacific League.
- He made his debut with the Montreal Expos on August 16, 1989, and walked twice and recorded a single in his first official at-bat off Mike LaCoss of the San Francisco Giants.
- He batted .265, 22 home runs, and 86 RBI, setting then-career highs each of 80 walks, 20 intentional walks, 29 stolen bases, and .371 OBP in 1993 and he won his second Gold Glove Award.
- He signed a four-year contract with the Colorado Rockies worth nearly $22.5 million USD ($37.8 million today), the largest agreement since the strike.
- Plagued by injuries for the last several years of his career, Walker nevertheless continued to produce and he missed the first week of the 1999 season with a strained rib cage.
- He missed a lot of games of 2000 due to stress fracture in the right elbow.
- Later, he was selected to play in the 2001 All-Star Game, starting as the designated hitter and batting fifth.
- On August 5, he hit his 300th career home run, coming against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 5-4 loss.
- He won another Gold Glove that year.
- He struggled to play well in 2002, including a franchise-worst 6-16 start and ended the season 25 games out of first place.
- He batted .338 in 2002, second in the NL to Bonds’ .370 average, and reached 100 RBI for the second consecutive year.
- He played in 136 games and hit for a .421 OBP and .602 SLG.
- He won his seventh Gold Glove Award and was 20th in the MVP voting.
- On August 6, 2004, Colorado sent Walker, who was batting .324 in 38 games, to the St. Louis Cardinals for minor league pitcher Jason Burch and two players to be named later.
- He made his Cardinals debut on August 8, playing the New York Mets, and appeared as a pinch-hitter and struck out in the seventh inning.
- He appeared in 44 games for the Cardinal powerhouse that won a major league-best 105 games, batting .280, .393 OBP, .560 SLG, and 11 home runs.
- He made his playoff debut with the Cardinals in Game 1 of the NLDS versus the Dodgers, homering twice and scoring four runs in an 8-3 Cardinals win.
- He became the first Cardinal with a multi-home run game in LDS play.
- In the 2004 postseason, he scored 21 percent (14 of 68) of Cardinals runs.
- He contributed to the 2005 NL Central division champions, winners of 100 games and he signaled that he would retire from playing after the season.
- In 100 regular-season games, he batted .289/.384/.502, good for a 130 OPS+.
- He ended his career 50th on Major League Baseball’s all-time home run list with 383.
- As of 2008, he was an instructor on the St. Louis Cardinals’ spring training staff under former manager Tony La Russa and did fill-in training with the Cardinals staff.
- He has served as a hitting coach and first base coach for the Canadian national team in 2009.
- In 2011, he served as hitting and first base coach for Canada at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico where Team Canada won their first major international baseball championship.
- On 20th June 2009, it was announced that Walker and former major league catcher Ernie Whitt were inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
- He became eligible for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.
- He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020 balloting while garnering 76.6% of the vote in his 10th and final year on the ballot.
- Moreover, he became only the second Canadian elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, after the 1991 election of Ferguson Jenkins.
- He is also the first member of the Rockies to be elected.
What is the Net Worth of Larry Walker?
The net worth of this famous Canadian former professional baseball player is estimated to have $45 Million as of 2020 whereas his present salary is still to get revealed yet but there is no doubt in the mind of his followers that he is earning a considerable amount of salary from his present work. Overall, he is satisfied with his present earnings and he is living a luxurious lifestyle from his earnings.
Is Larry Walker Married?
Yes, Larry Walker is a married person. He firstly married Christa Vandenbrink in 1990 and after four years, the duo separated in 1994 due to some reasons. After that, he married his second wife Angela Brekken in 1998. He is the father of three children; two daughters with Angela and one daughter with Christa. As of today, he is enjoying his present life happily without any disturbances. He is living a happy life with his wife.
How tall is Larry Walker?
Larry Walker is a very handsome person with athletic body build. Being at the age of fifty-three, he maintains his body a lot and he looks very young. He has got a charming personality with attractive behavior. At present, his exact body measurements such as height, weight, biceps size and more are still to get revealed yet but it will be added soon.
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