Dixie Walker

[Cowtipper]

A .306 lifetime hitter, Dixie Walker collected 2064 hits in 6740 at-bats in 18 big league seasons. A five time All-Star, he led the league in batting average in 1944 with a .357 mark, he led the league in triples and sacrifice flies in 1937 with 16 and 17, respectively, and he led the league in RBI with 124 in 1945.

He had an excellent eye at the plate, walking 817 times while striking out only 325 times. Because of that, he was often in the top ten list for best AB/strikeout ratio. He was also often in the doubles and batting average top ten lists.

He was a member of the talented Dodgers Walker/Reiser/Medwick outfield of the earlier 40s.

Walker had good grey ink of 126.

So, does Walker belong in the Hall of Fame?

[1905 Giants]

Nitpicking, but still:
-Inadequate fielder
-Twice in the top ten for outs
-Only in the top ten in slugging twice
-Only in the top ten in extra-base hits three times

[Paul Wendt]

Dixie Walker was very good in his early and mid-thirties and that helped make the Dodgers revival. Was he a genuine late bloomer?

Then in 1947 he ruined his reputation, at least from our perspective, by resisting integration. I imagine Branch Rickey wasn't very happy with him. Anyway, he was exiled to Pittsburgh next year and the eight years in Brooklyn '40-47 are the essence of his resume for both the HOF and the HOVG.

[jjpm74]

Then in 1947 he ruined his reputation, at least from our perspective, by resisting integration. I imagine Branch Rickey wasn't very happy with him.

Not likely. He wasn't the only southerner on the Dodgers to request a trade that year and later on admitted that he was being pressured by people back home.

[Brian McKenna]

Not likely. He wasn't the only southerner on the Dodgers to request a trade that year and later on admitted that he was being pressured by people back home.

What's "not likely" about the previous comment? He most certainly does have a blackmark on his reputation because of the integration issue.

[leecemark]

--He does have a bad rep, maybe wore than he deserves, for his behavior when Robinson joined the Dodgers. While hisactions certainly don't reflect well on him, I don't know that they were unusual or extreme for a man of his time and place. That said, he is well short of being a Hall of Famer strictly on his playing record. He doesn't need any "character markdown" in order to exclude him.

[crazyhorsesghost]

--He does have a bad rep, maybe wore than he deserves, for his behavior when Robinson joined the Dodgers. While hisactions certainly don't reflect well on him, I don't know that they were unusual or extreme for a man of his time and place. That said, he is well short of being a Hall of Famer strictly on his playing record. He doesn't need any "character markdown" in order to exclude him.

I agree with your statement there 100 percent.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Don Mattingly has a better case.

Will Clark has a MUCH better case.

Walker's career is sort of similar to Brian Giles. Giles was a legitimately great player for a few years. but he, too, started late, and didn't keep his prime going long enough.

In addition, the heart of Walker's career consists of the WWII years, when many of the better ballplayers went off to war. If Walker hit .298 for his career instead of .306, we probably wouldn't be having this thread.