Walker was playing at an All Star, near-MVP level before he ever got to Colorado. Funny how people fail to see that, as it doesn't fit with the whole "Coors made Walker" line of thought.
In 1992, Walker finished 5th in the MVP while an Expo (something Jeter did 3 times in 20 years), hitting .301 with 23 HR and 93 RBI, slashing .353 OBP/.506 SLG/.859 OPS. That was good for a 141 OPS+ in a down year for hitting. He won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.
In 1994, his last year in Montreal, the strike shortened season where the Expos were 74-40, and robbed of a chance to play in the World Series, Walker was magnificent. .322 AVG, 44 doubles, 19 HR, 86 RBI, .394 OBP/.587 SLG/.981 SLG, 151 OPS+. Walker was worth 4.7 bWAR in '94. If Montreal had played in all 162 games, at that rate, Walker's WAR would have been 6.7. A 7.0 WAR is considered near-MVP caliber.
Walker's best WAR by season, with that adjustment:
1997 9.8 MVP
2001 7.8 24th in the MVP (LOL at that)
1994 6.7
2002 6.1
1998 5.7
1992 5.4
1999 5.1
Look at his Hall of Fame Statistics:
Black Ink, which awards points for leading the league in offensive categories, is a bit low. Ok. I would point out that Derek Jeter's Black Ink score is 10.
Gray Ink counts top ten appearances. His score would be a little lower as he didn't play nearly as long as many Hall of Famers.
Hall of Fame Monitor and Batting Standards he is way over the Hall of Fame threshold.
And JAWS? There are 26 Hall of Fame right fielders. Walker ranks tenth in JAWS. He's behind Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Mel Ott, Frank Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, Reggie Jackson and Harry Heilmann.
That's some select company.
And look at his similarity scores.
Duke Snider, Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Mize, Vladimir Guerrero and Chuck Klein. Are you kidding me?
How can Walker not be a Hall of Famer?