Roberto Alomar is a likely choice to be named for induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, but Larry Walker's candidacy isn't likely to be met as warmly.

Alomar, the star second baseman who helped lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a pair of World Series titles, fell eight votes short last year of the 75 per cent threshold in voting by eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America needed for a place in Cooperstown.

This time, he looks like a slam dunk to make it. Alomar collected 2,724 hits, 201 homers, 1,134 RBIs, 1,508 runs and 474 steals in 2,379 games over 17 seasons.

"I really don't want to jinx it," said Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston. "I was surprised and disappointed when Robbie didn't get in last year, I shook my head at it, not only for the way he played with the Blue Jays, but for the way he played throughout his baseball career."

His selection would be fitting, as he would enter the hall this summer with Pat Gillick, the former Blue Jays general manager who brought him to Toronto in a 1990 trade that changed the franchise. Gillick earned election in a December vote by a veterans committee.

The question for baseball fans north of the border is whether anyone else with ties to Canada joins them.

The chief candidate on that front is Walker, the native of Maple Ridge, B.C., who spawned a generation of players in his home province and is revered by Canadian players across the majors.

He's considered the best Canadian position player to ever play in the majors, yet his 2,160 career hits and 383 home runs may not be enough despite 1,311 RBIs, 1,355 runs, 230 stolen bases, 913 walks and seven Gold Gloves in the outfield.

Walker is on the ballot for the first time. Pitcher Ferguson Jenkins of Chatham, Ont., is the only Canadian in Cooperstown.

"I think he should be in," said Marquis Grissom, Walker's teammate on the Montreal Expos and a candidate on the ballot himself. "He was player who hit home runs, stole bases, played great defence, he had the total package. But they're always going to base that on certain numbers like 500 home runs and 2,500, 3,000 hits. He's short in some areas that everyone's always looking for."

One interesting debate is whether Walker's impact on the game in Canada merits consideration.

According to the BBWAA rules, "Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played."

It's vague enough to be open to interpretation, and some feel that should be enough to push Walker over the edge.

"I think he had a very significant impact," said Greg Hamilton, Baseball Canada's director of national teams. "Stating the obvious, he was a Canadian superstar and if you were a Canadian in the game, you could look up to someone who had walked the same path you're walking. And he was very grounded, very real, very unassuming in who he was."

Walker has mentored many Canadian players -- he still offers Justin Morneau the occasional tip via text message -- and has helped coach national teams at two World Baseball Classics, the Olympics, World Cups, and this year, the Pan American Games.

"It's invaluable," said Hamilton. "He cares about the players, he cares about the next generation, he's very giving of his knowledge. Nobody has a bigger presence in the Canadian locker-room in terms of respect. He doesn't ask for that, but the respect players have for him is unparalleled."

Those things, however, are unlikely to resonate with the primarily American electorate. And at the end of the day, it's the numbers that are the ultimate arbiter.

"He could do it all, and he had a remarkable 10-12 year run," said Beeston. "I think you have to take his impact on Canadian baseball into account, but at the end of the day, is the guy a Hall of Famer for what he did on the field?"

Former Montreal Expos star Tim Raines is another on the bubble candidate, even though his career numbers are very similar to those of Hall of Famer Lou Brock.

Grissom, who reminded some of Raines in his prime, hopes voters begin paying more attention to the table-setter type players again.

"I think that part of the game was missed the past 10-15 years," said Grissom. "The speed guys had to turn into power hitters because everybody wanted the long ball. Now, speed is coming back into the game."

As for his own candidacy, Grissom just enjoys being mentioned after amassing 2,251 hits, 227 home runs, 967 RBIs, 1,187 runs scored and 429 stolen bases over a 17-year career.

"I'm honoured to be on the ballot," he said. "I look back at my career and what I accomplished and I'm really proud of myself, I pat myself on the back. When I got that ballot I was laughing, I can't believe I accomplished what I accomplished."

Other players on the ballot with a tie to either the Blue Jays or Expos: Kirk Rueter, Dave Parker, Al Leiter, Fred McGriff, Raul Mondesi, Jack Morris, John Olerud, Benito Santiago and Lee Smith.