Derek Jeter grew up beside a baseball field in Michigan, dreaming of playing shortstop for the Yankees. The fates cooperated, and Jeter lived out a fantasy that will soon earn him election to the Hall of Fame on the first try.

Life was different in British Columbia for young Larry Walker, whose high school did not have a baseball team. Walker played goaltender on hockey teams with Cam Neely, the future Boston Bruins star, and expected that sport to be his destiny.

At 17, a summer fling with a youth baseball team led to an unlikely spot on the Canadian national team and a free-agent contract with the Montreal Expos worth $1,500. Walker was so raw that, in his first summer as a pro, as a base runner for the Utica Blue Sox, he crossed the diamond from third to first — without touching second — after an outfielder unexpectedly caught a fly ball.

“He didn’t know the rule,” said Walt Weiss, a former teammate and close friend, repeating a story that is part of Walker lore. “But he ended up being the most instinctive player that I ever played with. He had a sixth sense on the field.”