Canuck Larry Walker was a widely known for much of his early career as a five-tool player. He could do it all, hit for power, hit for average, field, and steal bases. This 1998 card when Walker was with the Colorado Rockies, pretty much epitomizes Walker’s abilities at his peak. I can see why Pastor Rich suggested him.
In ‘98, Walker took the NL batting title with a .363 mark for Colorado. He scored 113 runs and rapped 72 extra bases in just 524 plate appearances. And he has a stat I always like to see… a low strikeout to walk ratio. Walker walked 64 times but only KOed 61 times.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Totals | 130 | 524 | 454 | 113 | 165 | 46 | 3 | 23 | 67 | 14 | 64 | 61 | .363 | .445 | .630 |
Walker certainly ‘done good’ in 1998. His power numbers (1-4-5-6-6) are quite worthy but his offensive talent doesn’t stop there. He also has an extra 7 at 55 plus a 15-11.
Larry Walker is one of those players who you are grateful for the small things. Put his hit numbers on a slow DH-type player and you would probably be quite happy. But with Larry Walker you get more. He’s a Fast baserunner with a 15-11 for starters. He’s an OF-3 AND plays 3/4 of the infield if you need him too.
Fun numbers: 44-6, 55-7, 42-9
For his era, he was one of the best right fielders in the business. The three years surrounding 1998 (1997-1999) were Larry Walker’s best of his career. In 1997, he topped 400 total bases, getting to 409 and led the NL with 49 homers. In 1999, he led the league again in hitting with .379 but also in slugging (.710) and on-base percentage (.458).
Two years later in 2001, he once again won the batting title with Colorado with a .350 average.
Thanks Rich. Great suggestion!
