Walker and Helton victims of unfair claims of Coors Field advantage
Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) is in his ninth year on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
By Tracy Ringolsby
Inside the Seams
The anti-Todd Helton and anti-Larry Walker delegations claim their numbers are inflated by spending time in Coors Field.
While Helton did spend his entire career with the Rockies, Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) had only 30.9 percent of his career at-bats at Coors Field, having broken in with Montreal and ended his career in St. Louis.
What seems to be overlooked is Helton hit .286697 on the road, higher than the road average of 49 of the 126 Hall of Famers, who had at least 1,500 at-bats on the road. Walker, meanwhile, hit .278033 on the road in his career, which is higher than 34 of the 126 Hall of Famers with at least 1,500 at-bats.
For a chart comparing the road batting averages of Walker and Helton to other Hall of Famers, follow this link.