Walker combined speed, power that even HOFers struggle to match

Now in his ninth year on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) will need significantly more support from the voters to be elected.

*This article was originally published on Tracy Ringolsby’s Inside the Seams website. You can read it here.

By Tracy Ringolsby

Inside the Seams

In Larry Walker’s career he didn’t merely hit 383 home runs. But he also stole 230 bases. He succeeded on 75.2 percent of his stolen base opportunities. Oh, and he had a .567 slugging percentage.

Impressed?

Well, Among Hall of Famers with 300 or more home runs, only three stole more than the 230 bases of Walker — Willie Mays (338), Andre Dawson (314) and Hank Aaron (240). Walker’s 75.2 success ratio on stolen bases ranks behind only Aaron (76.7) and Mays (76.6). Oh, and his .565 slugging percentage is higher than any of the Hall of Famers in the elite group.

It underscores how complete a player Walker was — speed and power. And he was an intelligent base runner.

Just a few more numbers that add up to why Walker should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Player Season SB PCT HR Slug Pct.
Willie Mays 1951-1973(22) 338 76.6 660 .557
Andre Dawson 1976-1996(21) 314 74.2 438 .482
Hank Aaron 1954-1976(23) 240 76.7 755 .555
Larry Walker 1989-2005 (18) 230 75.2 383 .565
Reggie Jackson 1967-1987(21) 228 66.5 563 .490
Dave Winfield 1973-1995(22) 223 69.9 465 .475
Frank Robinson 1956-1976(21) 204 72.6 586 .537
Jeff Bagwell 1991-2005(15) 202 72.1 449 .540
George Brett 1973-1993(21) 201 67.4 317 .487
Ken Griffey Jr. 1989-2010(22) 184 72.7 630 .538
Vladimir Guerrero 1996-2011(16) 181 65.8 449 .553