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Post by Captain America on Dec 30, 2012 13:40:12 GMT -5
Larry Walker has the potential to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1967. The 1996 Colorado Rockies have been one of the most elite teams in the National League this year. The Rockies also have what is arguably the best lineup in all of baseball. A year after the 1995 Rockies batted .282 with 200 home runs, this year's squad is batting a remarkable .313 and already has 182 home runs in the middle of August. At their current rate, these team records will get shattered. With a lineup that features left fielder and 1995 NL MVP runner-up Dante Bichette, an up-and-coming star third baseman in Vinny Castilla, a former batting champion in first baseman Andres Galarragga, a top base stealing threat in second baseman Eric Young and a much improved Ellis Burks in center field, one other Rockies hitter still stands out above the rest. That player is right fielder Larry Walker. Walker is having a season for the ages and could very well find himself in elite company at season's end. He is currently leading the National League in ten separate offensive categories, including batting average (.371) and home runs (35). He is also third in RBI with 101. The only two National League players with more RBI are teammates Burks and Castilla, with 103 and 102 RBI, respectively. Walker's other statistics include a .448 OBP, a .690 slugging percentage, 115 runs scored, 171 hits, 36 doubles, 23 stolen bases and 318 total bases. He has used the thin air at Coors Field to his advantage with a .446/.527/.820 line at home. His .301 average on the road is also solid, as are his .385/.320 splits against right-handed and left-handed pitching, respectively. If Walker maintains his lead in batting average and home runs, and also takes the lead in RBI, he could become the first player in baseball to win the Triple Crown since Hall of Fame Red Sox outfielder Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. The last National League player to win the Triple Crown was Joe Medwick of the Cardinals back in 1937, which goes to show how elite it means to be a Triple Crown winner. Furthermore, only 14 players in baseball history have ever won the Triple Crown to date, with Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams both winning two Triple Crowns in their careers. Carl Yastrzemski was the last player to win the Triple Crown. If Walker can add his name to this list, he would become the first player in the Rockies' brief history to win the honor and the second Canadian-born player to win as well. Back in 1887, Canadian-born Tip O'Neill won the Triple Crown. So, in a way, Walker could become the first Canadian-born player in the modern era to win the Triple Crown. What is fascinating about this list of Triple Crown winners is that among the eight winners since 1931, which was when the modern MVP Awards began, only five have won their league's MVP Award in the same season. Whether Walker wins the 1996 NL MVP Award is certainly not as much of a debate compared to whether he wins the Triple Crown. As the leader of ten offensive categories in the National League, Walker should be able to win the NL MVP Award by a long shot, if not a unanimous decision. Walker has also been playing very well defensively this season. He has a .989 fielding percentage with just two errors and his strong arm in right field has led to nine assists as well. In a season full of new milestones and records across the league, a Triple Crown winner would make 1996 that much better. Larry Walker is on a mission to make this happen and hopefully, he can cement his name as the first player to win the Triple Crown in nearly 30 years. |
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Post by Captain America on Dec 30, 2012 13:41:20 GMT -5
If anyone was already reading, I apologize for taking it down for a minute and re-posting. I did the poll incorrectly just before, so I had to make the necessary changes.  |
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Nanz
New Member
Seattle Mariners
Posts: 5,355
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Post by Nanz on Dec 30, 2012 14:52:58 GMT -5
meh at who gave it a 2. I think this was closer to a 5 then any other article.
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Nanz
New Member
Seattle Mariners
Posts: 5,355
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Post by Nanz on Dec 30, 2012 14:53:11 GMT -5
other than the bbs guys' article draft roundtable etc
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Post by Captain America on Dec 30, 2012 16:06:08 GMT -5
meh at who gave it a 2. I think this was closer to a 5 then any other article. Thanks!  I think those that rated it a 2 only did so because it was longer than most other articles and their attention spans aren't particularly long, so they could have found some of the extra details rather boring. Oh well...to each his own. |
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Post by Captain America on Dec 30, 2012 16:25:36 GMT -5
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Nanz
New Member
Seattle Mariners
Posts: 5,355
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Post by Nanz on Dec 30, 2012 17:43:52 GMT -5
i think this is a solid 4 but if i vote 4 then its like ummm i dont want this to get a 2....
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Nanz
New Member
Seattle Mariners
Posts: 5,355
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Post by Nanz on Dec 30, 2012 17:44:08 GMT -5
tough move for me to make
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steve
New Member
Ex-GM
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Post by steve on Dec 30, 2012 17:45:15 GMT -5
Yeah I'm not sure why this would be given a 2. Strange.
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Nanz
New Member
Seattle Mariners
Posts: 5,355
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Post by Nanz on Dec 30, 2012 17:57:39 GMT -5
if it had a few pics it would loook totes good
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Post by Youth Movement on Dec 30, 2012 18:09:47 GMT -5
yea, some eye candy would've been nice.
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steve
New Member
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Post by steve on Dec 30, 2012 18:19:53 GMT -5
if it had a few pics it would loook totes good meh true. |
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Post by Captain America on Dec 30, 2012 19:14:26 GMT -5
if it had a few pics it would loook totes good Tried uploading an attachment, but I dunno for some reason it didn't work. Any advice on this would be great! Once I figure out how to do that, at least 2 pics will be up asap. |
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steve
New Member
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Post by steve on Dec 30, 2012 19:34:52 GMT -5
Definitely think pics help out articles. Make it a lot more readable and not just a wall of text. You should just be able to use ![]() url[/img to display them. |
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Post by Erbes on Dec 30, 2012 20:18:28 GMT -5
Meh this would not get a 2...
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Post by Erbes on Dec 30, 2012 20:20:11 GMT -5
Lol @ Larry leading 10 offensive categories. Thank you Coors Field! Lulzzzzz.
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csc5782
New Member
Philadelphia Phillies
Posts: 4,026
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Post by csc5782 on Dec 30, 2012 20:24:36 GMT -5
Lol @ Larry leading 10 offensive categories. Thank you Coors Field! Lulzzzzz. Yea, that is freaking crazy. There should be a reward comp for non-Rockies players. Colorado is going to clean house with comps and be able to further bump player ratings! |
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Post by Captain America on Dec 30, 2012 20:59:39 GMT -5
Pics are finally up! Thanks to Boston and Milwaukee for the advice. |
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steve
New Member
Ex-GM
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Post by steve on Dec 30, 2012 21:20:03 GMT -5
nice, looks good!
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csc5782
New Member
Philadelphia Phillies
Posts: 4,026
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Post by csc5782 on Dec 30, 2012 21:21:34 GMT -5
couldn't find the "6" button.
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Post by Erbes on Jan 2, 2013 21:03:32 GMT -5
This is a 5. Claim it.
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Post by Youth Movement on Jan 2, 2013 21:04:54 GMT -5
Lol @ Larry leading 10 offensive categories. Thank you Coors Field! Lulzzzzz. fuck you. |
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Post by Captain America on Jan 3, 2013 0:19:37 GMT -5
Thanks! |
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Post by Captain America on Jan 7, 2013 17:09:24 GMT -5
Looks like Walker won't be getting the Triple Crown after all. Burks is now running away with the RBI lead and is up by 2 in homers going into the last week.
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csc5782
New Member
Philadelphia Phillies
Posts: 4,026
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Post by csc5782 on Jan 7, 2013 17:35:45 GMT -5
Looks like Walker won't be getting the Triple Crown after all. Burks is now running away with the RBI lead and is up by 2 in homers going into the last week. Psst. Sit Burks. |
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