Colorado Rockies: Larry Walker gaining traction in Hall of Fame voting

In his eighth year on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, former Colorado Rockies outfielder Larry Walker is picking up steam as the voters’ ballots are being released.

In the past few weeks, Larry Walker has been winning over Hall of Fame voters as he makes a push for his election to Cooperstown. Walker fell short of the required 75 percent of required votes for induction last year, gaining only 21.9 percent of the baseball writers’ support.

This season tells a different story, though. Hall of Fame ballot tracker Ryan Thibodaux, @NotMrTibbs on Twitter, has kept a spreadsheet tracking the ballots that have been released to this point. As of late in the day on December 20, 2017, 78 ballots are known, and Walker currently holds 44.3 percent of votes. You can view the ballot tracker here.

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It is already a huge jump from last year’s vote, as Walker already has a net gain of +18 votes from returning voters.

Walker has a career .310/.400/.565 slash line with 383 home runs and 1311 RBI. He also has a career 141 OPS+ and 140 wRC+, as well as a 72.6 career WAR.

If you want to read more about Walker and some of his reasons why he should be included in the Hall of Fame, Rox Pile has covered the subject extensively. Click below on any of the links to read the articles.

Comparing the numbers for Colorado greats Todd Helton and Larry Walker

Why Larry Walker’s Hall of Fame snub is showing Coors Field is more hated than PEDs

Breaking down Larry Walker’s case for Cooperstown and Hall of Fame induction

Next: Rockies history: The day Denver was named as an expansion candidate

It is unlikely that Walker will gain the required 75 percent of votes this year, despite the significant progress he has made. However, it is certainly encouraging for Walker for the next two years, though, as he enters his final years of eligibility starting in 2018.