Issue: Do you think Barry Larkin is a Hall of Famer?
Short Answer: He certainly is now...
Reasoning: On January 6, 2011, I wrote this piece about Barry Larkin. It outlines, in detail, how open-and-shut the case is for Larkin being enshrined in Cooperstown. However, last year, he did not receive enough votes. This year, he did. Larkin received over 84% of the vote (only 75% is required). My question is: what are the other 16% of idiot sportswriters thinking? I'm not going to regurgitate the same stats as I did in the linked post above, but, if you haven't read it, click on it, and I guarantee you will be convinced that Larkin is not only a Hall of Famer, but one of the greatest shortstops of all time, period. I thought people realized this, until yesterday, when I got a text from one of my law school buddies that read: "Sorry, I know you are a huge reds fan but I still can't comprehend how Barry Larkin is a Hall of Famer." (I had to clean up the grammar and spelling a little bit, sorry Mike). Now, Mike went to Penn State (ouch) and roots for the Yankees (way to be original), so, I don't really take his opinion too seriously. However, it just reminds me again how people outside of Cincinnati don't appreciate Barry Larkin. Maybe it's because he played shortstop in the same league as Ozzie Smith for most of his career. Maybe it's because he played during the heart of the steroid era and didn't hit 60 home runs a year. Maybe it's because he wasn't the flashiest, didn't talk trash, didn't throw equipment, was well spoken, well educated (although, he did go to Moeller High School, so he can't be that smart), and a son of the greatest city in the world. Barry Larkin is the first Hall of Famer to be born in Cincinnati (this will change in 2016 when Ken Griffey Jr. is elected, and in 4255 when an MLB Commissioner finally lifts Pete Rose's ban, in the year that matches the number of career hits he has), and this city loves him, for good reason.
Now, I am going to throw out a few more stats, that weren't in my original Barry Larkin post, that prove once again, that he is a Hall of Famer.
- Model of consistency - Barry Larkin's all-time stats versus/at/during (thanks to my brother Casey, via Lance McAlister's blog):
- RHP - .293
- LHP - .299
- Home - .297
- Away - .293
- 1st half - .293
- 2nd half - .297
- w/RISP - .298
- Dome - .297
- Runners on - .303
- April - .270 (it's freakin' cold here people!)
- May - .302
- June - .303
- July - .303
- August - .293
- September/October - .293
I realize that "consistency" doesn't make you a Hall of Famer, but when you consistently hit .300 anywhere, anytime, you are most certainly one of the best ever.
- Better than average? - How about we take a look at Barry Larkin's stats versus the rest of the league, during his career (thanks to Jeremy's Facebook page...not a reliable source? Who cares?):
- League batting average - .256
- Barry Larkin batting average - .295
- League on-base percentage - .317
- Barry Larkin on-base percentage - .371
- League slugging percentage - .390
- Barry Larkin slugging percentage - .444
Barry Larkin is not only one of the best of his generation, he's one of the best of all time. Barry Larkin is a Hall of Famer, so for all you non-believers, well, kiss Barry's you-know-what. Or you can just kiss his golden bust in Cooperstown the next time you visit.
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