Walker looking for uptick in Hall of Fame voting

Larry Walker will be on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for the eighth time in 2018.
Walker's percentage of the vote jumped from 15.5 percent in 2016 to 21.9 percent last year, but it was still a far cry from the 75 percent needed for induction. Walker's largest percentage of the vote came in 2012, his second year on the ballot, when he got 22.9 percent.
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"What it all boils down to is I'm still on the ballot," Walker said last year. "That's a good thing for me. My dad sent me a text ... saying it's still an honor to be on that ballot, and I agree with him."
The ballot for 2018 was announced by the Hall of Fame on Monday. The results of the voting, which is done by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, will be announced Jan. 24 on MLB Network.
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On their face, Walker's career numbers indicate he should be receiving far more votes than he's gotten.
Over his 17-year career (1989-2005), Walker slashed .313/.400/.565 with a 141 OPS+ mark. After beginning his career in Montreal, Walker played the bulk of his career and posted his most impressive numbers while with the Rockies from 1995 until late in the 2004 season, hitting .334 with a 1.044 OPS and 258 homers.
Walker was also regarded as an excellent defender with very good speed.
While his time in Colorado was incredibly productive, it's also one of the things that seems to be holding him back when it comes to Cooperstown, with voters possibly not giving him enough credit due to playing in hitter-friendly Coors Field.

"I could be frustrated by it all," Walker said last year. "I don't let it bother me. I guess I have a fault, and my fault is I played at Coors Field."