Hall of Fame Poll: Barry Larkin

by Tom Dakers on Dec 4, 2010 8:14 PM EST in Fun

I'm skipping over a few on the Hall of Fame ballot:

Marquis Grissom: had a nice career and I have a soft spot for any former Expo. He had a very good 17 year MLB career. He hit 227 home runs and stole 429 bases, including 154 in 1991 and 1992 in Montreal. His batting line of .272/.318/.415 is good, but not great. He had 4 Gold Gloves and made 2 All-Star games. He is 56th on the career stolen base list. Good career, not Hall of Fame career.

Lenny Harris: had an 18 year career, played for 8 different teams, mostly as a pinch hitter and utility player. He played every position other than catcher. Holds the career mark for most pinch hits with 212. All in he hit .269/.318/.349 in 1903 games.

Bobby Higginson: Sort of has the start of a Hall of Fame career, but faded out too quick. Played 11 seasons with the Tigers. Had 187 homers and a 272/.358/.455 slash line. Again a good player...

Charles Johnson: A very good defensive catcher, who had some power. He hit 31 home runs in 2000, never had more than 21 in any other season. He won 4 Gold Gloves, made 2 All-Star teams and has a World Series ring. Finished with 167 home runs, 570 RBI and a .245/.330/.433 slash line in 12 seasons.

So let's do a poll on Barry Larkin. Larkin's first time on the ballot was last year and he got 51.6% of the vote.

Larkin played for the Cincinnati Reds for 19 seasons, all at shortstop. A MVP award, 3 Gold Gloves, 12 All-Star games, a World Series ring and 9 Silver Slugger awards are some of his accomplishments.

He finished with 2340 hits, 198 homers, 1329 runs, 379 stolen bases and a .295/.371/.444 slash line. You can see all his career numbers here.

Poll

Would you vote Barry Larkin into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Yes

181 votes

No

56 votes

237 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

absolutely

shortstops aren’t well represented in the Hall and Larkin’s offensive numbers and accomplishments compare favourably to others that have been enshrined. He also had a reputation as an excellent defender. Finally, he conducted himself with a lot of dignity in difficult situations. To me Larkin is a no-brainer. Of course he’s one of my fav all time players so your mileage may vary

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Dec 4, 2010 8:17 PM EST reply actions

agreed

Larkin’s numbers are hurt a bit because he lost a lot of playing time to injury, but he still played long enough to accumulate almost 70 WAR. As you mentioned, he was also a credit to the game as a person.

"Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!"

by jessef on Dec 4, 2010 9:53 PM EST up reply actions

I thought

Larkin and Alomar were both 1st balloters. Looks like Alomar will get in on the 2nd, I have a hard time believing Larkin will get that much of a jump this year to get in though. Somewhere in years 3-5 I really hope he gets in though. IMO he’s a no doubter.

by sportsguy2905 on Dec 4, 2010 10:29 PM EST reply actions

Larkin

Larkin was a beast. He also won a championship wilhich helps. He was the best in his era and that seals it for me.

by ddbumpus on Dec 5, 2010 12:06 AM EST via mobile reply actions

it won't be long.......

befoire Barry Larkin gets in. He was a great ball player, great person, and a great Shortstop. I thought he would have got in on the First ballot, but he will get in within the next couple. His numbers stack up very well with other Shortstops who are in the Hall. Number #9 on the www.notinhalloffame.com baseball list.

by Kirk Buchner on Dec 5, 2010 12:59 AM EST reply actions