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2011 Hall Of Fame Ballot: Including Cardinals Larry Walker And... Juan Gonzalez

At SB Nation proper they've got an article about 2011's Hall of Fame ballot. We're still a few years from the prime of my Hall of Fame argument career—Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen will need to retire, first—but this year's ballot includes two slugging Cardinals corner outfielders: Larry Walker and Mr. Juan Gonzalez. 

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Walker is kind of like a slugging version of Ichiro—he was an excellent hitter made more valuable by what was, until recently, intangible: outfield defense and excellent baserunning. He only played 144 games for the Cardinals, but his accomplishments here were magnified by coming at the very top of the MV3 era, when the lineup seemed nearly invincible. 

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Juan Gonzalez's final championship season at-bat came limping down the first base line in Cleveland, but in 2008 he made one final comeback attempt with our very own Cardinals. He hit .308 in spring and was on the verge of becoming Tony La Russa's newest veteran love affair when yet another injury sent him back to Puerto Rico to stay. His nine games with the team don't show up on his Baseball-Reference page, but I don't think that'll be the difference between election and ballot stagnation. 

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