03/15/2004 12:45 PM ET
Rockies' Walker ready to rebound
By Thomas Harding

Larry Walker managed just 16 home runs while struggling in 2003. (John Miller/AP)

TUCSON, Ariz. -- You'd be hardpressed to beat Larry Walker to Hi Corbett Field each morning, much less outwork him, after a winter of well-documented hard work. But Walker's industrious deeds are partly due to having to rehab from knee and shoulder surgery during the offseason, and a new groin injury this spring.
Forgive Walker for wondering when the reward comes.

"I don't like coming here at 6:30 in the morning, doing rehab, trying to get ready," Walker said. "I'd like to play."

For most of nine seasons as a mainstay in right field for the Colorado Rockies, Walker has been spectacular when he has played, but has also lost extensive time to injury. Last season brought the worst possible combination: pain and poor results. With two seasons left on a six-year, $75 million contract and the Rockies looking for a reversal after three straight losing seasons, it's up to Walker, 37, to demonstrate that Colorado is still spending smart money.

Walker's offseason program and his Spring Training reporting weight of 245 -- at least 15 below last year -- was exciting news. But that only partly addresses his numbers last season, the worst he has posted in a full season since joining the Rockies in 1995. His .284 batting average in 143 games was his lowest since he batted .265 with Montreal in 1993. His 16 homers matched 1991 for the lowest over a full season. He hit just nine in 2000, but played in just 87 games because of an elbow injury.

After all that, what matters now is how he feels.

Walker played most of last season with two injuries to his left shoulder, a slight labrum tear and a worn sheath that attaches his biceps tendon to his upper arm. As the year progressed, cartilage in his right knee unraveled.

The Rockies were left with a lineup weak on run production outside of Todd Helton, who finished a point shy of the National League batting title; Preston Wilson, who led the league with 141 RBIs; and Jay Payton, who had a career year before signing with San Diego this winter. A productive Walker no doubt could have reversed some of the 47 one- and two-run losses.

Disappointed that Walker came to camp bulky from unsupervised weight training, manager Clint Hurdle questioned the area above the shoulders, going as far as to say publicly that Walker should decide whether continuing his career was worth the while.

In some ways, Walker had already beaten Hurdle to that issue. In the early part of the season, before the shoulder problem was revealed, Walker was falling asleep in front of videotape of his at-bats. He was having long talks with his wife, Angela, about where he was headed.

Not long after Hurdle challenged him publicly, Walker put an end to it.

"We were in Arizona," Walker said. "I called my wife and said, 'Honey, we're staying in Denver this offseason.' We usually went to our home in Florida. Then I walked into Clint's office, told him what I was going to do, and that was it."

It was an example of how Walker became a special player in the first place. He says his hitting philosophy runs no deeper than "see the ball, hit the ball," yet much more preparation goes into it. It was the same with deciding his future.

"That's a sign of a man," Hurdle said. "He didn't get on a soapbox and make all these statements. He came in and told me what he was going to do, and just went out and did it."

After a brief fishing vacation to his native British Columbia, Canada, Walker returned to Colorado for the surgeries and began work almost immediately. Having dabbled with outside physical trainers in the past, Walker went to strength and conditioning coach Brad Andress.

Walker's smile returned, thanks to his hard-working teammates and the creative Andress.

"Five of us would sit in the golf cart while the other guy would push it one way," Walker said, giving an example of how Andress would break the monotony. "That guy would stop, jump on, somebody else would jump on and push it the other way."

"To add to that, it's not like I never worked out in the offseason ... where the season ended and I would go sit in front of the Haagen-Dazs store and just eat all winter. I've always worked out. This year I did it in Denver with the strength and conditioning coach."

However, for all the attention paid to Walker's waistline, the real issue is the swing. Last season, the shoulder pain curtailed his ability to hit inside pitches in games or even address the issue in batting practice. He was better off not swinging, as evidenced by his career-high 98 walks.

This spring, despite having to rehab the surgical areas as well as work to bring the groin pull back into shape, Walker has been able to impress Colorado hitting coach Duane Espy.

"His BP is terrific," Espy said. "He's stroking the ball all over the ballpark. I can't tell you how a guy feels, but I'm seeing that he feels he can get to all the pitches without a problem. If that keeps up, I think he can get his swing to where it used to be."

Walker's swing earned him NL Most Valuable Player honors in 1997 and batting titles in '98, '99 and 2001. But all Walker wants is his swing, not past glory.

"I'm being me right now, here and now," Walker said. "That's it."

The Walker people see now is willing to work. But he must play.

Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.