Who is Larry Walker? B.C. native set to become second Canadian inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

Jace Mallory

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Who is Larry Walker? B.C. native set to become second Canadian inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame image

This story was originally published on Jan. 21, 2020. It has been updated.

As the Hall of Fame inductees were announced on Jan. 21, 2020, Canadian Larry Walker, after a long-awaited journey, finally heard his name.

The 17-year professional waited the longest possible time before being inducted: 10 years. The final ballot sent him through with 76.6 percent of the votes. Joining Walker in the Class of 2020 is Derek Jeter, who received votes on 99.7 percent of the ballots.

In 2014, a rule change to the Hall of Fame's eligibility process shrunk the number of years a player can appear on a ballot from 15 to 10. Walker saw a rise in votes every year since 2014 with significant jumps in 2018 and 2019.

Here's everything you need to know about Larry Walker and his baseball career:

Who is Larry Walker?

Walker played major league baseball for 17 seasons for three franchises: the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals.

After six years in Montreal to open his career with the since-relocated Expos, he shipped to Colorado for 10 years with the Rockies — the bulk of his illustrious career. He was traded on Aug. 6, 2004, to the Cardinals where he would play one additional full season before retiring.

Where is Larry Walker from?

A Maple Ridge, B.C., native, Walker was born just over an hour from Vancouver but on the complete opposite end of the country from where he spent his years with the Expos. When he moved to Colorado, he cut the distance from his hometown in half — still over 2,300 kilometres.

Walker is one of 37 MLB players from British Columbia, but the only one from Maple Ridge. Ferguson Jenkins, a Chatham, Ont., native, is the only other Canadian in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He pitched 19 seasons in the major leagues, spending most of his time with the Chicago Cubs. Jenkins was inducted into Cooperstown in 1991.

MORE: Everything to know about  Larry Walker's unique candidacy

How long did Larry Walker play in the MLB?

Walker played 1,988 games in 17 years in the MLB, with 2,160 hits, 1,355 runs and 1,311 runs batted in. He hit .313/.400/.565 over his career with 383 home runs.

He won the league MVP award in 1997 when he posted .366/.452/.720 averages and career-highs in games played (153), runs (143), hits (208), home runs (49), runs batted in (130), stolen bases (33) and total bases (409).

Originally scheduled for 2020 and then in August, the Rockies will now be retiring Walker's No. 33 on Sept. 25.

Why did it take Larry Walker so long to be inducted?

There are a number of reasons Walker had to wait so long to become a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sporting News' Ryan Fagan published a column in January 2019 claiming that a rise in support could lead to his induction in 2020.

One of the arguments as to why the now-Hall of Famer hadn't breached the 75-percent plateau was that Walker spent most of his career in Colorado where batting numbers are escalated due to the elevation. However, Walker's vote percentages had risen the longer his candidacy went gone, reaching 54.6 percent in 2019.

Here's how Walker's votes have gone since 2011:

2011: 20.3 percent
2012: 22.9 percent
2013: 21.6 percent
2014: 10.2 percent
2015: 11.8 percent
2016: 15.5 percent
2017: 21.9 percent
2018: 34.1 percent
2019: 54.6 percent
2020: 76.6 percent

Now, he will forever be remembered as a Hall of Famer and only the second Canadian to do so.

Jace Mallory