In Colorado’s 26 seasons of existence, the Rockies haven’t yet produced a Hall of Fame player. Whether that changes anytime soon depends on how well outfielder Larry Walker and first baseman Todd Helton do in the 2018 balloting to get into Cooperstown.
Walker (72.7 career WAR, .313 average, 383 home runs and 58.7 JAWS, which measures a player’s Hall of Fame worthiness) is in his ninth of ten seasons of ballot eligibility. Meanwhile, Helton (61.2/.316/369/53.9) is in his first season of eligibility.
Each likely faces an uphill climb to induction as the bias against hitters who played their careers within the elevation of Coors Field is palpable. Walker received just 34.1 percent of the vote last year, even though the outfielder’s JAWS is higher than two of the four 2018 inductees in Vladimir Guerrero (50.3) and Jim Thome (57.2).
Follow along daily with Walker and Helton’s bids for baseball immortality via the Hall of Fame vote tracker,
Official results of the 2018 balloting will be announced Jan. 22, with any electees inducted July 21 in Cooperstown.
As of 1/22/19 at 4:15 p.m., the 2019 Hall of Fame voting has been revealed. To earn selection into the Hall of Fame, a player needed 319 votes this year to attain the 75 percent election requirement.
Larry Walker
232 votes (54.6%)
Todd Helton
70 votes (16.5%)
