Barry Larkin, the lifetime Cincinnati Reds shortstop and 12-time All-Star, was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Monday, securing 86% of the vote from the Baseball Writer's Association of America. He was the only player elected in the 2011 class, with former Tigers pitcher Jack Morris just falling short.
Barry Larkin Voted Into Baseball Hall Of Fame
Larkin was the fourth-overall pick in 1985, which is widely considered the greatest amateur draft in baseball history. After a nondescript debut in the Eastern League as a 21-year-old, he only spent one more season in the minors before becoming the Reds’ starting shortstop for 19 straight seasons. Only 24 players in the history of baseball have played more games for just one franchise in their careers.
An aside: one of those players was Dave Concepcion, who was the Reds’ shortstop from 1970 until Larkin’s emergence in 1987, which means that the Reds had two different shortstops over a 35-season stretch. The last starting shortstop before that was Woody Woodward, and whenever the Reds would try to alter the plans of the universe, the universe would respond:
Larkin was a part of the 1990 Reds, the last Cincinnati team to win the World Series. He won the NL MVP in 1995, though it’s possible that the best year of his career was the following year, when he hit a career-high 33 home runs and stole 36 bases. He finished his career with 2340 hits and a .295/.371/.444 line in 2180 games for the Reds.
Morris received 67% of the total vote, a large increase over the 53.5% he received in 2011. This is the 13th year that Morris has been on the ballot, however, so he’ll need more of a push over the next two seasons if he’s to make it without the help of the Golden Era Committee.
Jeff Bagwell received 56% of the total vote, which wasn't good enough for election with this class, but a strong indicator that he'll merit strong consideration in the future. He's currently the career WAR leader for all eligible players who aren't in the Hall.
Lee Smith was the only other former player to be named on a majority of the ballots, getting 51%. He was followed by Tim Raines (49%), Alan Trammell (37%), Edgar Martinez (37%), Fred McGriff (24%), Larry Walker (23%), and Mark McGwire (20%).
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