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Colorado Rockies: The 10 best players in franchise history

By Daniel Wettstein II

DENVER, CO - CIRCA 1996: Vinny Castilla #9 of the Colorado Rockies looks to make a throw to first base during aN Major League Baseball game circa 1996 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. Castilla played for the Rockies from 1993-99 and in 2004 and 2006. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - CIRCA 1996: Vinny Castilla #9 of the Colorado Rockies looks to make a throw to first base during aN Major League Baseball game circa 1996 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. Castilla played for the Rockies from 1993-99 and in 2004 and 2006. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies
14 Jun 1998: Larry Walker #33 of the Colorado Rockies in action during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Rockies defeated the Dodgers 3-2. (Mandatory Credit: Vincent Laforet /Allsport) /

3. Larry Walker (Rockies Career WAR 48.3)

This might not be the number 1 player on my list, but he is the number 1 player in my heart. This man single-handedly made me unconditionally love the sport of baseball. This man is the reason I sit here writing this for your consumption. So please, send him your thanks.

We all know what his best season was in 1997: the only MVP season in Rockies history. This year saw him slash .366/.452/.720 with 49 HRs, 130 RBI for an OPS+ of 178, and WAR of 9.8.  He led MLB in slugging percentage, OPS (1.172), and total bases (409). He led the NL in homers and OBP.

He started in the NL All-Star Game and in addition to winning the MVP, he won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. The true Triple-Crown in my opinion. He is still the Rockies All-Time leader in batting average, OBP, slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+. All this and I still haven’t mentioned the fact he is the only Rockie in the Hall of Fame. All of these testaments to greatness is why I wore 33 growing up, played RF, and even tried to teach myself how to bat left-handed (Thank God this was before the era of cell-phones, let alone smart-phones).

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